More trips for Thomas, Beyonce tickets for Jackson: Here’s what Supreme Court disclosures show
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas recently disclosed trips he took in 2019 in a new set of financial reports released Friday. The reports also revealed that Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson earned the highest royalties from book sales last year and received tickets to a Beyonce concert.
These disclosures, mandated by law, provide a somewhat vague insight into the justices’ financial situations and are the first annual reports released since the court implemented its inaugural code of conduct last year.
The adoption of this code followed a string of ethics controversies, primarily revolving around undisclosed gifts and luxury travel accepted by Thomas, and to a lesser extent, Justice Samuel Alito.
Thomas amended a previous report to reveal that in 2019, he traveled to an Indonesian island and attended an exclusive all-male retreat in California, both funded by billionaire GOP megadonor Harlan Crow. This follows reports from last year by ProPublica, which highlighted a series of lavish trips financed by Crow over the past two decades that Thomas had failed to disclose, potentially breaching federal law.
In response, Thomas stated that he had been advised that such personal hospitality from close friends, who did not have business before the court, was not required to be reported. However, months later, he disclosed trips that he claimed met the new reporting criteria introduced in 2022 and mentioned that he was seeking guidance on whether he should revise prior reports.
In the report released Friday, Thomas indicated that the 2019 trips he disclosed were part of this ongoing review process.
Meanwhile, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the court’s newest member, disclosed receiving an $893,750 advance for her upcoming memoir, “Lovely One,” scheduled for release in September.
Other justices also reported earnings from book deals, with Justice Brett Kavanaugh receiving $340,000 for an upcoming legal memoir, and Justice Neil Gorsuch earning $250,000 for a book he co-authored. Justice Sonya Sotomayor continued to receive royalties from children’s books she authored.
Apart from book deals, several justices reported additional earnings from teaching engagements. Kavanaugh and Barrett received gifts, including artwork and Beyonce concert tickets.
The justices also disclosed various travel engagements, such as teaching seminars and speaking engagements, without specifying their costs.