More trips for Thomas, Beyonce tickets for Jackson: Here's what Supreme Court disclosures show
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WASHINGTON − Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas belatedly disclosed trips he took in 2019 in a new round of financial disclosure reports released Friday that also showed Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson topped her colleagues in book royalties last year and received tickets for a Beyonce concert.
The disclosures, which are required by law and offer only an imprecise glimpse into the finances of the justices, were the first annual reports released since the court last year adopted its first-ever code of conduct.
The code was a response to a series of ethics scandals, mostly centered on undisclosed gifts and luxury travel received by Thomas and, to a lesser extent, Justice Samuel Alito.
Thomas amended a previous report to show he traveled in 2019 to an Indonesian island and to an exclusive all-male retreat in California on the dime of billionaire GOP megadonor Harlan Crow.
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ProPublica reported last year that Thomas had taken a series of lavish trips funded by Crow over the past two decades without disclosing them, a possible violation of federal law.
Thomas said in response he had been advised that “this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends, who did not have business before the court, was not reportable.”
Months later, Thomas disclosed trips he said met new reporting requirements that began in 2022. He said he was "seeking guidance" on whether he should amend prior reports.
More: Chief Justice Roberts says he'll stay clear of Alito's Trump recusal refusal
In the report made public Friday, Thomas said the 2019 trips he disclosed were an extension of that review.
As is his usual practice, Alito received a 90-day extension to file his annual report.
Justices earning well from book deals
In her report, Jackson – the court’s newest member − disclosed an $893,750 advance for her memoir, “Lovely One,” which comes out in September.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh received $340,000 for an upcoming legal memoir.
Justice Neil Gorsuch earned $250,000 for a book he and a former law clerk are writing that will be released in August: “Over Ruled: The Human Toll of Too Much Law.”
Justice Sonya Sotomayor continues to receive royalties − $86,784 last year – from children's books she's written.
More: Sotomayor aides pressed colleges to buy more copies of her books for events, report says
Sotomayor also earned $1,879 for appearing on “Alma’s Way,” an animated children’s show about a six-year-old girl who lives in the Bronx – where Sotomayor grew up.
In addition to income from books and TV appearances, several justices reported outside earnings from teaching.
Gorsuch received $29,798 from George Mason University.
Kavanaugh received $25,000 from Notre Dame Law School, which also paid Justice Amy Coney Barrett $14,947.
The four Beyonce tickets Jackson received were worth $3,712. She also reported gifts of $10,000 in art work for her chambers from Lonnie Holley and $2,500 in art work from Dr. Kathi Earles-Ross and Howard University scholars.
Thomas reported receiving two photo albums valued at $2,000 from Terrence and Barbara Giroux.
Travel the justices reported, without detailing their cost, included:
Trips to London for Barrett and Kavanaugh to teach a University of Notre Dame Law School seminar.
A trip to England for Gorsuch to speak at a Federalist Society event.
A trip to Portugal where Gorsuch attended a George Mason University program.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Clarence Thomas discloses trips from Harlan Crow: Supreme Court
