US Supreme Court's Thomas attended Koch network donor events -ProPublica
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[September 23, 2023]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence
Thomas attended at least two events for the conservative Koch network of
donors in recent years, ProPublica reported on Friday, citing former
employees and donors with the alliance.
Thomas was brought in to the private events as a fundraising draw for
the donor network, which has had multiple cases before the nation's top
court, the sources told ProPublica.
Reuters could not immediately confirm the report, which follows earlier
reports on the conservative justice's ties to a wealthy benefactor that
have raised larger questions about the Supreme Court justices' ethical
conduct and prompted some pushback by Democrats in Congress.
A representative for the Koch network could not immediately be reached
for comment on the report but told ProPublica that Thomas was not
"present for fundraising conversations."
"The idea that attending a couple events to promote a book or give
dinner remarks, as all the justices do, could somehow be undue influence
just doesn’t hold water," a network spokesperson told the nonprofit news
organization.
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A representative for the Supreme Court did not immediately respond to a
request for comment.
ProPublica reported that Thomas attended Koch donor events at least
twice over the years, including a January 2018 private dinner for
network donors. The flight to the event was not disclosed on Thomas'
annual filing that year, it said.
The federal judiciary's code of conduct includes a provision judges
cannot participate in fundraising, but the code does not apply to the
Supreme Court. Chief Justice John Roberts has said the justices consult
the code in assessing their own ethical obligations.
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People visit the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, U.S.,
August 31, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Wurm/File Photo
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Roberts has said the court is weighing steps related to conduct but
has not taken public action.
Speaking at an event at the University of Notre Dame Law School on
Friday, Justice Elena Kagan said she hoped the court can "make
progress" on adapting the code of conduct to account for the high
court's differences. "It would, I think, go far in persuading other
people that we were adhering to the highest standards of conduct,"
she said.
Thomas previously has faced scrutiny following revelations that he
did not disclose luxury trips and transactions paid for by the
wealthy Texas businessman Harlan Crow.
In August, Thomas filed his delayed financial disclosure forms for
2022 detailing private jet travel that he said was necessitated by
security concerns and including items left out of prior disclosures.
Democrats in the U.S. Senate are pushing a bill that would mandate
an ethical code for the high court. Given Republican opposition, the
bill has little chance of becoming law.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey and Andrew Chung; Editing by Daniel
Wallis)
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