Clarence Thomas net worth: SC Justice ruled on bribery case while accepting undisclosed luxury trips from GOP Harlan Crow for two decades
WASHINGTON, DC: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who is the longest-serving justice after working for 31 years, has been reported for accepting luxury gifts from GOP megadonor Harlan Crow for more than 20 years without disclosing them. It has been revealed that Thomas regularly took vacations at Crow's private lakeside resort in New York's Adirondacks and trips on his private Bombardier Global 5000 jet and 162-foot superyacht.
ProPublica reported on Thursday, April 6, that flight records found from the Federal Aviation Administration and FlightAware indicated that Thomas made "regular use" of Crow's jet, adding his usage of the private jet for a three-hour trip in 2016. The outlet further stated, "These trips appeared nowhere on Thomas’ financial disclosures. His failure to report the flights appears to violate a law passed after Watergate that requires justices, judges, members of Congress and federal officials to disclose most gifts."
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'Justice Thomas never asked for any of this hospitality'
In a statement, Crow accepted that he’d extended “hospitality” to Thomas “over the years,” as they have been friends with him and his wife Ginni since 1996. But it said that Thomas never asked for any of it and it was “no different from the hospitality we have extended to our many other dear friends.” "We have been most fortunate to have a great life of many friends and financial success, and we have always placed a priority on spending time with our family and friends. Justice Thomas and Ginni never asked for any of this hospitality," he stated.
'Completely disregarded his higher ethical obligations'
Commenting on this, Nancy Gertner, a retired federal judge appointed by President Bill Clinton said, "It’s incomprehensible to me that someone would do this. It was a question of not wanting to use the office for anything other than what it was intended." Virginia Canter, a former government ethics lawyer who served in administrations of both parties and is now at the watchdog group CREW, said, Thomas “seems to have completely disregarded his higher ethical obligations. When a justice’s lifestyle is being subsidized by the rich and famous, it absolutely corrodes public trust. Quite frankly, it makes my heart sink.”
A report by Newsweek suggests that, in 2016, Thomas voted in a unanimous Supreme Court decision to overturn a bribery conviction against Bob McDonnell, a former Virginia governor. McDonnell was convicted of using his political office to help Jonnie Williams, a businessman who provided the governor with loans, vacations, and "legal" luxury products in excess of $175,000. Thomas ruled on the case while allegedly accepting luxurious vacations from Crow, reports NPR.
Following the accusations revealed in public, many were quick to react saying, "The Supreme Court has lost legitimacy, unfortunately. We can debate about when exactly that happened, but the highest court in the land shouldn't be a partisan kangaroo court. These folks shouldn't have political affiliations and they should be tethered to extremely strict rules of procedure and ethics." Many demanded he is removed from the position. One of them asked, "So, I know they are there for life.... but in case of corruption or any other crime, they can be charge and remove right?"
One more pointed out, "A code of conduct for federal judges below the Supreme Court requires them to avoid even the 'appearance of impropriety.' Members of the high court, Chief Justice John Roberts has written, “consult” that code for guidance. The Supreme Court is left almost entirely to police itself. There are few restrictions on what gifts justices can accept. That’s in contrast to the other branches of government. Members of Congress are generally prohibited from taking gifts worth $50 or more and would need pre-approval from an ethics committee to take many of the trips Thomas has accepted from Crow." A user questioned, "What I don't understand is...what is the average salary of a Superior Court Judge? Can they not afford thier own vacations?"
What is the average salary of a Supreme Court judge?
Supreme Court Justice Thomas has a salary of $285,000, as per ProPublica. However, Chron suggests that an average salary of a Supreme Court judge is around $267,000 on an annual basis. The site states that pay for justices who serve on state high courts varies. State chief justices make a median of $175,600 annually, while associate justices earn $170,000.
Clarence Thomas net worth
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Thomas, who was appointed to the US Supreme Court in 1991 by then-President George HW Bush, has a net worth of $1 million. As per Yahoo! Finance, Thomas is also the second Black man to serve on the Supreme Court after replacing Thurgood Marshall.
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