Justice Clarence Thomas disclosed on Friday that conservative billionaire Harlan Crow funded two of his trips in 2019. These included a hotel stay in Bali, Indonesia, and a visit to a private club in Sonoma County, California. This information was part of the justices’ annual financial disclosures, which are filed in mid-May and released in early June each year.
The forms, published online by the Administrative Office of the U.
Financial disclosures for eight of the nine justices were available on Friday. The forms were due on May 15, but justices can receive extensions of up to 90 days to submit their forms. Forms for Justice Samuel Alito, who received an extension last year, were not available online. Thomas explained that he had inadvertently omitted the trips funded by Crow when he filed his 2019 form.
Other justices also traveled overseas during 2023, often in connection with their teaching positions. Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Justice Brett Kavanaugh served as adjunct professors at Notre Dame’s law school in London during the spring of 2023. Barrett received just under $15,000 from the law school, while Kavanaugh netted $25,000.
Justice Neil Gorsuch traveled to Europe to teach in 2023, spending two weeks in July with George Mason University and its National Security Institute in Lisbon, Portugal. Gorsuch was paid $30,000 by George Mason. He also traveled to the United Kingdom for a speech and educational program for the Federalist Society.
It was a lucrative year for the justices with book deals. Jackson received an advance on a book deal reportedly worth about $3 million for her memoir, ‘Lovely One’. Kavanaugh reported a payment of $340,000 for his legal memoir, expected in 2025 or 2026. Gorsuch reported $250,000 from HarperCollins for his new book, ‘Overruled: The Human Toll of Too Much Law’, slated for release on August 6.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the author of several books, reported royalties from Penguin Random House. She also disclosed a payment of $1,879.16 for a guest appearance voicing herself on the PBS animated series ‘Alma’s Way’.
The financial disclosures for the Supreme Court justices in 2023 have been released, shedding light on the gifts they have received over the past 20 years. According to the nonpartisan watchdog group Fix the Court, from January 2004 to December 2023, the justices accepted 344 gifts valued at nearly $3 million.
Most of these gifts were accepted by Justice Thomas, who was the subject of several investigations last year regarding his failure to disclose luxury yacht and private jet travel funded by billionaire Harlan Crow, as well as payments for his grandnephews’ tuition at a private school. Fix the Court identified $2.4 million in gifts that Thomas accepted and an additional $1.7 million in likely gifts, totaling up to $4 million in gifts during that time.
Thomas reported only one gift on his 2023 disclosure: two photo albums worth $2,000 from Terrence and Barbara Giroux. Terrence Giroux was the executive director of the Horatio Alger Association, an organization dedicated to promoting the American Dream. Thomas serves as an honorary member of the group’s board and hosts an annual ceremony for the organization in the Supreme Court’s courtroom.
Justice Jackson noted two gifts for her chambers, including a $10,000 gift from Lonnie Holley, an Alabama artist known for his sculptures made from found materials, a tradition rooted in African American culture. She also disclosed receiving four tickets to a Beyonce concert, valued at $3,711. 84.
Other justices’ forms contained more mundane entries. Chief Justice John Roberts did not list any reimbursable travel or gifts and did not hold any outside positions. Justice Elena Kagan’s form included income from renting a parking space in her apartment building, while Justice Kavanaugh listed his role as coach of a local parish’s fifth- and sixth-grade girls’ basketball team among his outside positions.
This article was originally published at Howe on the Court. Recommended Citation: Eric, In financial disclosure Thomas adds two inadvertently omitted trips from billionaire Crow, SCOTUSblog (Jun. 7, 2024, 12:00 AM), /2024/06/in-financial-disclosure-thomas-adds-two-inadvertently-omitted-trips-from-billionaire-crow/
