Republican megadonor #HarlanCrow paid private boarding school tuition for the grandnephew of #SupremeCourt Justice #ClarenceThomas, according to report Thursday in ProPublica that was likely to bring a fresh round of scrutiny to both Thomas and the ethics practices at the nation's highest court. #SCOTUS#corruption
"No employee of the federal government, that I’m aware of, is allowed to accept these kinds of gifts. If [Clarence] Thomas was in the House, if he was in the Senate, if he was in the White House, if he was anywhere else in government, this would not be allowed. If he was a lower court judge, this would not be allowed. And frankly, he should resign over this."
"#ClarenceThomas has publicly stated his failure to comply with the law by disclosing his financial entanglements with #HarlanCrow are unintended errors, but if so, it's a mistake remarkably consistent with his ideological position that people who use their money and influence to steer the #American#political system ought to be able to do so in complete secrecy." -#AdamSerwer / #TheAtlantic
"“The ethical conduct of the #SupremeCourt has been under growing scrutiny,” Emmarie Huetteman wrote. “Questions have been raised over Justice #ClarenceThomas’ appearances before Republican-backed groups and his acceptance of favors from a contributor in Texas, #HarlanCrow...”
“A company related to Republican megadonor #HarlanCrow, a longtime friend of #ClarenceThomas who paid for lavish trips for the #SupremeCourt justice and his wife, had business before the Supreme Court in the mid-2000s, records show.”
Justice #ClarenceThomas said he was advised he didn’t have to disclose luxuries paid for by GOP donor #HarlanCrow because Crow “did not have business before the court.” But in at least one case, Crow did: Bloomberg
"I think it would be positively disgraceful if [John Roberts] refuses to speak - testify- in front of Congress [about Clarence Thomas], It would be a real statement that the Supreme Court justices view themselves as rulers instead of public servants.
"They owe us a response, they owe us transparency."
This is the kind of ineptitude that would sink even an impeachment backed with [hypothetical] evidence of direct bribery.
Josh Gerstein:
NEW: Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin says he didn't invite Justice #ClarenceThomas to testify re ethics because he thought Thomas would ignore the invitation.
Chief Justice John Roberts has declined to directly respond to a congressional request for his testimony at a #SupremeCourt ethics hearing next month about Justice #ClarenceThomas’ alleged ethical lapses. #SCOTUS
#SCOTUS on Fri preserved full access for now to #mifepristone that has been taken by millions of women… (for >20 years), its first major abortion-related decision since overturning #RoeVWade’s constitutional guarantee of #AbortionRights last year.
#SCOTUS put on hold a… ruling in favor of antiabortion groups, which said the #FDA was wrong to make… #mifepristone more widely available. A legal battle over whether to permanently reimpose restrictions, & whether the FDA had properly approved use of the drug…, will continue.
…the majority did not explain its reasoning…. In the only noted dissents, Justices #ClarenceThomas & #SamuelAlito said they would not have granted the Biden admin’s request for a stay of the decision by… the #5thCircuit.
#ClarenceThomas did not explain his reasoning. #Alito said the admin & the public would not have been harmed by agreeing w/the lower court….
“It would simply restore the circumstances that existed (& that the Government defended) from 2000 to 2016 under three Presidential administrations,” Alito wrote.
(Except during those years women had the protections #RoeVWade granted - duh)