Dear Neighbor,
A shocking report has revealed that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in undisclosed gifts from GOP megadonor Harlan Crow.
Throughout his thirty years on the Court, Justice Thomas has accepted numerous luxury trips from Crow with price tags over $500,000, none of which were publicly disclosed. Crow bought property from Justice Thomas in transactions that were also never disclosed and has paid Thomas’ mother’s rent for years. Justice Thomas also failed to report over $686,000 in income that his wife, conservative activist Ginni Thomas, earned from a conservative think tank.
This is a stain on the Court that must be cleansed. For these unacceptable breaches of public trust, Justice Thomas must resign.
This problem is bigger than Justice Thomas’ most recent transgressions. For too long, the Supreme Court has operated according to its own rules without any meaningful oversight by an outside entity. Just this week, Chief Justice Roberts refused to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee as it examines lapses in the Court’s ethical judgement.
That is unacceptable. It is long past time for an enforceable Supreme Court code of ethics to prevent any underhanded or hidden dealings like this in the future. The Court must be held accountable, just like any other government body.
With public trust in the Supreme Court at a record low, we must begin to rebuild confidence that the bench can objectively hear and review cases without threat of private interests interfering. We can start with my legislation, the Cameras in the Courtroom Act, which would boost transparency by televising open proceedings before the Court.
I am also a proud cosponsor of the Supreme Court Ethics Act, which would require the Judicial Conference of the United States to issue a judicial code of conduct for Supreme Court Justices. And I was an original cosponsor of the Judiciary Act, which would bring much needed balance and legitimacy to the Court by expanding the number of Justices from nine to thirteen.
I will continue to fight for good governance in every office of the federal government. My colleagues and I have sworn oaths to defend and uphold the Constitution, and we cannot abide anyone who would make a mockery of the trust that the American people have placed in them.
Please continue to take care of yourselves and each other. As always, if you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact my office at 703-256-3071.
