(NewsSpace.com) – The Supreme Court is the highest in the land, and its justices, who rule on landmark cases, are thought to be held to certain standards. Over the past several months, there has been increasing scrutiny as information has come to light about some of those sitting on the bench receiving expensive gifts and lucrative book deals. One of those in question is Justice Clarence Thomas, and the Senate is now digging deeper.
Earlier this year, ProPublica released a bombshell report detailing Justice Thomas’ relationship with billionaire Harlan Crow. The businessman reportedly lavished Thomas with gifts, including expensive vacations and paying for his grandnephew’s tuition, which came to a pricey $6,000 per month. Naturally, these expenses, most of which Thomas failed to disclose, raised a lot of eyebrows and resulted in calls for a code of ethics for those who serve on the High Court. Thomas, for his part, said the vacations were simply two longtime friends spending time together and brushed off any added benefit.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is now looking closely at the transactions and gifts that Crow bestowed on his friend, to the point that it plans to vote on whether to issue subpoenas to Republican donors who have refused, so far, to testify. Since the committee is comprised of 10 Republicans and 11 Democrats, the vote is likely to move forward, per Newsweek.
It’s not just Harlan Crow under fire, either. There are other donors that the Senate committee wants to question, such as Robin Arkley II, who allegedly funded trips for Justice Samuel Alito, and Leonard Leo, a former Trump aide.
The subpoenas are part of a larger reaching effort by the committee to create a code of ethics for Supreme Court justices, three of whom have publicly endorsed the idea, including Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan.
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