Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has revealed the very beneficiant reward she acquired from Beyoncé – however she’s removed from the Supreme Court docket member who has acquired probably the most presents on the job.
The pop celebrity despatched Biden appointee Brown Jackson, the primary Black lady on the nation’s highest court docket, 4 tickets to her Renaissance world tour, value a complete of $3,711.84, in accordance with a report by the watchdog Repair The Court docket.
The 9 present SCOTUS justices have acquired a minimum of 344 items value $3 million in items between January 2004 and December 2023, per the evaluation, which used official disclosure experiences.
George H.W. Bush appointee Justice Clarence Thomas topped the record of the most important portion of items acquired. Since getting on the bench in 1991, Thomas acquired 193 items value a complete of $4,042,286.
And, in accordance with Repair the Court docket, he has solely overtly disclosed 8.5 p.c of the entire items he has acquired. The watchdog cited information experiences that declare Thomas has acquired an extra $1.7 million in items.
The pop celebrity despatched Biden appointee Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the primary Black lady on the nation’s highest court docket, 4 tickets to her Renaissance world tour
Beyoncé carried out two concert events within the Washington space in August 2023, although Jackson’s disclosure doesn’t say when or the place the tickets had been for
‘Justice Jackson is Loopy in Love with Beyoncé’s music,’ Supreme Court docket spokeswoman Patricia McCabe mentioned, invoking a Beyoncé music. ‘Who isn’t?’
Jackson acquired art work for her Supreme Court docket workplace value $12,500. After which there have been the Beyoncé tickets, value greater than $900 a pop
The late Sandra Day O’Connor, appointed by Ronald Reagan, got here in second place, with 73 items value $35,625 from 1981 to 2006.
Reagan appointee Antonin Scalia acquired the third highest quantity of items – 67 with a complete worth of $210,164.
Invoice Clinton appointee Ruth Bader Ginsburg not far behind within the quantity of items acquired, with 61 items value $59,814.
In the meantime it was David Souter, who served from 1990 till his retirement in 2009, and Donald Trump appointee Brett Kavanaugh who’ve acquired the least quantity of items – only one value $349 and $100 respectively, per the report.
In keeping with Repair the Court docket, solely two justices reported one hundred pc of the items they acquired – Souter and John Paul Stevens, who left the court docket in 2010.
George H.W. Bush appointee Justice Clarence Thomas topped the record of probably the most items acquired. Since getting on the bench in 1991, he acquired 193 items value a complete of $4,042,286
Furthermore, solely two justices reported receiving items final 12 months. Thomas mentioned he was given two picture albums value $2,000 by Terrence Giroux and his spouse. Giroux is the chief director emeritus of the Horatio Alger Affiliation.
Jackson acquired art work for her Supreme Court docket workplace value $12,500. After which there have been the Beyoncé tickets, value greater than $900 a pop.
Beyoncé carried out two concert events within the Washington space in August 2023, although Jackson’s disclosure doesn’t say when or the place the tickets had been for.
‘Justice Jackson is Loopy in Love with Beyoncé’s music,’ Supreme Court docket spokeswoman Patricia McCabe mentioned, invoking a Beyoncé music. ‘Who isn’t?’
Final 12 months ProPublica revealed that Thomas has accepted the ‘hospitality’ of actual property billionaire Harlan Crow for 20 years, having fun with luxurious holidays and transport that he wouldn’t be capable to afford on his $285,000 per 12 months wage.
This consists of touring the Pacific waters of Indonesia on a 162-foot super-yacht outfitted with a number of decks that comes with a crew and a non-public chef in 2019, in accordance with an explosive new report by the ProPublica journalism nonprofit.
Of their day jobs, the justices are being paid $298,500 this 12 months, apart from Chief Justice John Roberts, who earns $312,200.
In the meantime it was David Souter, who served from 1990 till his retirement in 2009, and Donald Trump appointee Brett Kavanaugh (pictured) who’ve acquired the least quantity of items – only one value $349 and $100 respectively
Following ProPublica’s reporting, SCOTUS issued an ethics code in an effort to shore up collapsing public confidence after a sequence of revelations that donors had been showering justices with undisclosed items and profitable property offers.
The nine-page code doesn’t place particular restrictions on items, journey or actual property offers.
As a substitute it says justices ‘mustn’t permit household, social, political, monetary, or different relationships to affect official conduct or judgment.’
And they need to not participate in actions that ‘detract from the dignity of the justice’s workplace’ or ‘mirror adversely on the justice’s impartiality,’ equivalent to talking at political occasions.
Stress has constructed on the justices to enroll to a code of conduct in the course of the previous 12 months.
Final 12 months ProPublica revealed that Thomas has accepted the ‘hospitality’ of actual property billionaire Harlan Crow for 20 years
In contrast to different federal courts, the Supreme Court docket didn’t have its personal formal guidelines however justices insisted they adopted these utilized by lower-court US judges.
ProPublica revealed that Republican billionaire Crow helped pay the schooling invoice — as a lot as $150,000 for 4 years at non-public college — of a relative of Thomas, whom the justice handled as a son.
An earlier ProPublica report revealed that Thomas made use of luxurious jets, a mega-yacht, and beautiful retreats all owned by the identical actual property magnate.
None of it had been disclosed.
‘Harlan and Kathy Crow are amongst our dearest pals, and we’ve been pals for over twenty-five years,’ mentioned Thomas on the time.
‘As pals do, we’ve joined them on plenty of household journeys in the course of the greater than quarter century we’ve identified them.’
Solely two justices reported receiving items final 12 months – Thomas and Brown Jackson
Thomas mentioned he had adopted the recommendation of others in deciding what required disclosure and that Crow himself didn’t have enterprise earlier than the court docket.
He confronted further questions due to the political actions of his spouse. Virginia Thomas was lively with allies of Donald Trump in making an attempt to overturn the 2020 election outcomes.
Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Sonia Sotomayor have additionally been underneath scrutiny.
Alito was revealed to have taken an undisclosed 2008 flight for a luxurious fishing journey offered by hedge fund founder Paul Singer; Gorsuch was caught up in a property cope with the chief government of a significant regulation agency; and aides of Sotomayor promoted gross sales of her books.
