This year, reporting from ProPublica and others have exposed widespread corruption within the Supreme Court. Justices Alito and Thomas both secretly accepted luxury trips from conservative billionaires, which both had business interests tied to the Court, revealing the significant influence far-right special interests have in decisions that affect millions. Open Secrets highlights more of the justices’ financial disclosures in recent years—further highlighting the need for Congress to pass the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency (SCERT) Act.
Open Secrets: Supreme Court disclosures reveal more luxury travel from private interests
Cady Inabinett
07/05/23
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As details regarding some Supreme Court justices receiving undisclosed luxury travel gifts continue to come to light, justices’ personal financial disclosures show that most sitting justices have been reimbursed for international travel during their time on the bench. During 2021 and 2022, eight of the nine justices reported taking 34 trips at the expense of private groups including universities, legal groups and ideologically-focused organizations.
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Supreme Court justices are required to disclose “any travel-related reimbursements aggregating more than $415 in value that are received by the filer from one source” in their annual personal financial disclosures, according to judiciary policy. In these reports, justices must report travel locations, dates and nature of expenses, but do not have to disclose the total cost of travel. These rules also do not apply to, “Any food, lodging, or entertainment received as ‘personal hospitality of any individual.’”
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Personal financial disclosures, however, have proven to be fallible as a means of exposing all free travel that justices receive, as indicated by recent reports from ProPublica showing that Justices Samuel Alito and Thomas have received luxury travel gifts that went unreported on their annual financial disclosures.
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Gifts, which are defined by judicial ethics and conduct guidelines as “any gratuity, favor, discount, entertainment, hospitality, loan, forbearance, or other similar item having monetary value,” must also be reported in justices’ personal financial disclosures. But there are several exceptions to what is considered a gift, including exceptions for “social hospitality based on personal relationships,” and “modest items, such as food and refreshments, offered as a matter of social hospitality.”
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ProPublica reports have shown that both Alito and Thomas received undisclosed luxury travel gifts from billionaires. Thomas received private yacht and jet trips to far-flung locales, such as Indonesia, at the expense of Dallas businessman and billionaire Harlan Crow for the past 20 years.
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Meanwhile, Alito vacationed in Alaska in July 2008, taking a private fishing trip paid for by hedge-fund billionaire Paul Singer who later had cases appear before the Supreme Court at least 10 times. Both justices viewed these trips as hospitality from friends.
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