Harlan Crow, a Texas businessman and Republican party donor, disclosed details about the travels of US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s travels between 2017 and 2021, funded by billionaire benefactor, which he failed to disclose. This was stated by the Democratic Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

Harlan Crow

Justice Thomas Crticised For Gifts From Billionaire Harlan Crow

Justice Thomas has come under criticism for failing to disclose gifts from Mr Crow. Justice Thomas recently revised his 2019 financial disclosure form to acknowledge that billionaire Mr Crow had paid for Justice’s “food & lodging” at a Bali hotel and at a California club. But this filing by Justice Thomas had failed to disclose that Mr Crow had paid for his travel by private jet related to Bali and California trips, and also 8 day excursion on a watch in Indonesia.

The Senate Judiciary Committee’s ongoing investigation into Supreme Court’s ethical crisis is producing new information and it makes crystal clear that the highest court in United States requires a enforceable code of conduct. Under pressure from criticism over ethics, the Supreme Court in November 2023 had adopted its first code of conduct. 

On November 14, 2023, The U.S. Supreme Court announced its first formal code of conduct governing the ethical behaviour of its nine judges, bowing to outside pressure over revelations of undisclosed luxury trips and hobnobbing with wealthy benefactors. This new code had drawn mixed reviews, with some critics noting the apparent absence of any enforcement mechanism. This code was adopted after a series of media reports detaining ethics questions surrounding some Supreme Court judges, in particular conservative justice Clarence Thomas. The nine -page code contains sections codifying that justices should not let outside relationships influence their official conduct or judgement.

New Disclosure Regulations After Justice Thomas's Criticism

on 23 September 2024, the U.S. judicial Conference's Committe on Financial Disclosure, which sets rules followed by the nine Supreme Court justices and other federal judges, issued the amended policy of ethics requirements. This committee has been reviewing allegations that Justice Clarence Thomas, improperly failed to report gifts including luxury travel from wealthy Texas businessman Harlan Crow. The judiciary's rule-making body declared that the disclosure regulations were updated this week to "clarify" the extent gifts received at personal residences owned by corporate entities could be deemed "personal hospitality" that judges didnot need to list on their disclosure reports. As per 23 September rule change, stays at a host's personal residence would not need to be disclosed in an entity, owns the property, as long as the residence was regualrly rented out and was not a commercial property.