# The Clarence Thomas led Supreme Court **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 30, 2022, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clarence-thomas-led-supreme-court/967189 "2022-06-30T15:40:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2023, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clarence-thomas-led-supreme-court/967189/141 "2023-06-09T17:35:44Z")
Seems it’s financial disclosure time for the Supremes. Seven of nine (salacious image here [JERI RYAN IN "STAR TREK: VOYAGER" SEVEN OF NINE - 8X10 PUBLICITY PHOTO (AB-559) | eBay](https://www.ebay.com/itm/162887447003)) justices promptly reported. Two, Thomas and Alito, asked for extensions. Now I’m not prone to leaping to conclusions or wild conjecture actually that’s Steve’s middle name but my guess is some serious backdating of checks, revised gift tax filings are being performed in the background. Also included in the cite is a rehash of Harlan Crow’s attorney’s blathering to the Senate committee looking into Crow’s “gifts”. > **[Clarence Thomas Has Gotten An Extension On Annual Financial Filings, The...](https://www.theroot.com/harlan-crow-wont-give-up-clarence-thomas-1850425291)** > > Other justices, like Ketanji Brown Jackson, disclosed their additional income almost immediately. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2023, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clarence-thomas-led-supreme-court/967189/142 "2023-06-09T17:53:16Z")
Why the fuck did you include pointless spoiler blurs? ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2023, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clarence-thomas-led-supreme-court/967189/143 "2023-06-09T20:54:51Z")
Humor, at least I thought so. 1. Mentioning 7 of 9 would cause some members to immediately think of her. So I included a link. 2. I am ALWAYS thinking the worst regarding conflicts of interest and/or morals of the GQP. 3. Made you look. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2023, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clarence-thomas-led-supreme-court/967189/144 "2023-06-09T21:00:34Z")
… wrong thread. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clarence-thomas-led-supreme-court/967189/145 "2023-06-21T15:55:48Z")
Perhaps it’s no surprise, but Justice Alito also has high dollar friends whose hedge fund companies have remarkable success in the Supreme Court, by complete coincidence. > **[Justice Alito Writes Curious WSJ Rebuttal of ProPublica’s Deep Dive Into...](https://www.mediaite.com/news/justice-alito-writes-curious-wsj-rebuttal-of-pro-publicas-deep-dive-into-alleged-ethics-violations/)** > > Justice Samuel Alito took to the opinion pages of the Wall Street Journal to rebut ProPublica's deep dive into ethics violations over a fishing trip to Alaska. Unlike Justice Thomas, Justice Alito managed to get published (as an [op-ed in Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/articles/propublica-misleads-its-readers-alito-gifts-disclosure-alaska-singer-23b51eda)) an attempt to justify the ~~bribes~~ benefits derived from the relationship, using time-honored tropes like “no money changed hands” (curiously neglecting the idea of “equivalent value”). I can’t read the justification for not recusing, since it’s only in the WSJ posting and that’s paywalled, but I’m sure it’s equally convincing. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clarence-thomas-led-supreme-court/967189/146 "2023-06-21T20:43:35Z")
Breathtaking sense of entitlement. In a European country, his equivalent would have resigned immediately. The Supremes should be exemplifying highest conduct, not appearances of impropriety (at best!) that would get any low-level college lecturer (etc. etc.) fired instantly. And his excuse is “I took a seat that, presumably, would have been otherwise empty”? HA!! Any seven-year-old has already outgrown such blatant horseshit. I’m about to board a long, trans-Pacific flight, in an economy-class seat. I think I’ll just grab a first-class seat instead, and if the attendants object, I’ll say “Sue me! The highest court in the land just said it’s okay.” One commenter to The NY Times article said this: “Let’s have the Supremes cover their robes with their sponsors’ logos, just like NASCAR drivers!” Gift link: [Justice Alito Defends Private Jet Travel to Luxury Fishing Trip - The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/21/us/politics/justice-alito-luxury-travel-fishing-trip.html?unlocked_article_code=9SwZKxTmDVESvGgnnZhIfMFw_LYoiDgREM9ZTHbNxTbFSU9RF7Udwf0LcejZcVI55LL2d78Qsp11LQOw_TWgrSOIAngDwioV3Q2AEkPxHIFVbqnPP0BF2SZjr6vom9uiozq-ea4Ky3bEhMZbpf71mzzJIoiJWSSbeRTNxq-4vTFwQ26XPvZ1AINWtPOe5lRz8ZI_XOTqBJ4eusSq58YjPEA00ZYf5Bnv5tP2am0iJz7aX2ZzL7pgxE9k8cKWONKfFl0qpIgYW8ku5zoHkPyW5KVqO2KUlayNxW8QgdcD6z8tOl8Ztz860p3Cl1sFPjuHEpUi-VFqxEwYQKbfB--uQDmDOw34Bxo89wOkaSiObweAa9oCm_U&smid=url-share) ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clarence-thomas-led-supreme-court/967189/147 "2023-06-21T20:55:43Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Justice Alito managed to get published (as an [op-ed in Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/articles/propublica-misleads-its-readers-alito-gifts-disclosure-alaska-singer-23b51eda)) an attempt to justify the ~~bribes~~ benefits derived from the relationship, using time-honored tropes like “no money changed hands” (curiously neglecting the idea of “equivalent value”). I can’t read the justification for not recusing, since it’s only in the WSJ posting and that’s paywalled Gift link to the unlocked WSJ op-ed: [Justice Samuel Alito: ProPublica Misleads Its Readers](https://www.wsj.com/articles/propublica-misleads-its-readers-alito-gifts-disclosure-alaska-singer-23b51eda?st=4iq1vg2zbw45pof&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink) ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clarence-thomas-led-supreme-court/967189/148 "2023-06-21T21:14:42Z")
One quote: _Justice Alito said he was not required to disclose the trip on Mr. Singer’s private jet in “a seat that, as far as I am aware, would have otherwise been vacant.”_ So, nothing to see here. No matter there was business before the court since this had been disclosed somewhere. In an unrelated note, adorable puppies!! ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clarence-thomas-led-supreme-court/967189/149 "2023-06-21T21:16:41Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > And his excuse is “I took a seat that, presumably, would have been otherwise empty”? HA!! Any seven-year-old has already outgrown such blatant horseshit. > > I’m about to board a long, trans-Pacific flight, in an economy-class seat. I think I’ll just grab a first-class seat instead, and if the attendants object, I’ll > say “Sue me! The highest court in the land just said it’s okay.” (from my post, above) ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clarence-thomas-led-supreme-court/967189/150 "2023-06-21T21:20:33Z")
> Gift link to the unlocked WSJ op-ed Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clarence-thomas-led-supreme-court/967189/151 "2023-06-21T21:20:39Z")
Is it a coincidence that the two most corrupt justices on the court are also the ones with the most virulent and loathsome right-wing ideologies? ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clarence-thomas-led-supreme-court/967189/152 "2023-06-21T21:20:54Z")
Thank you, @bibliophage , for the gift link. So, reading Alito’s screed, we see this about recusal: > Recusal. I had no obligation to recuse in any of the cases that ProPublica cites. First, even if I had been aware of Mr. Singer’s connection to the entities involved in those cases, recusal would not have been required or appropriate. ProPublica suggests that my failure to recuse in these cases created an appearance of impropriety, but that is incorrect. So, the defense is literally “this is not the apprarance of impropriety you’re looking for.” Or, to paraphrase it in the words of an old acquaintance of mine, “It’s not inappropriate because STFU.” ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clarence-thomas-led-supreme-court/967189/153 "2023-06-21T21:29:00Z")
Alito: “ProPublica suggests that my failure to recuse in these cases created an appearance of impropriety, but that is incorrect.” He’s right. It wasn’t an _appearance of impropriety_, it was a clear exhibition of blatant corruption. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2023, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clarence-thomas-led-supreme-court/967189/154 "2023-06-22T12:49:54Z")
I think it’s safe to say that Alito and Thomas have taken submarine tour of the Titanic off their bribe wishlist. ---
**Author:** ![DeadTreasSecretaries](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deadtreassecretaries/32/4817_2.png) [@DeadTreasSecretaries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadTreasSecretaries)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2023, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clarence-thomas-led-supreme-court/967189/155 "2023-06-22T15:26:13Z")
I really don’t want to give wsj clicks/money for publishing this fuckung crap. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2023, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clarence-thomas-led-supreme-court/967189/156 "2023-06-22T18:06:01Z")
Printing a response is standard, and printing it before the criticism possibly unprecedented. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2023, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clarence-thomas-led-supreme-court/967189/157 "2023-06-22T18:25:04Z")
OpEds are where despicable people get to try to seem reasonable, get their side of the story out, and in the end display how despicable they are. So it’s not a bad thing WSJ published that. As @wolfpup says, it’s making the corruption blatantly obvious by the feebleness and silliness of the justification. It would have been more honest if Alito had just said “it’s not bad because it’s good for me and your stupid rules don’t apply to me and shut up, you peasants” but at least we can draw the inference from what he actually did say. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2023, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clarence-thomas-led-supreme-court/967189/158 "2023-06-22T21:15:54Z")
CNN has a pretty good summary of the sordid goings-on > **[Alito in the hot seat over trips to Alaska and Rome he accepted from groups...](https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/22/politics/alito-barrett-supreme-court-ethics-travel/index.html)** > > Concerns about ethics and transparency at the Supreme Court have been reignited this week after Justice Samuel Alito acknowledged attending a luxury fishing trip on the private jet of a conservative hedge fund manager. This is not what the phrase “criminal Justice” is supposed to mean. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clarence-thomas-led-supreme-court/967189/159 "2023-06-23T02:57:45Z")
👍👍👍👍 Wild applause, with great sadness for a once, pretty good institution. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clarence-thomas-led-supreme-court/967189/160 "2023-06-23T03:28:53Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I think it’s safe to say that Alito and Thomas have taken submarine tour of the Titanic off their bribe wishlist. What a pity. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clarence-thomas-led-supreme-court/967189.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clarence-thomas-led-supreme-court/967189.md?page=9)