Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas arrives for the swearing-in ceremony of Justice Neil Gorsuch in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S., April 10, 2017.
Joshua Roberts | Reuters
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has asked for more time to file his annual financial disclosures as he faces ethics controversy over accepting expensive vacations and other largesse from Republican billionaire Harlan Crowe.
Thomas will have up to 90 days to file his requested disclosure.Another conservative justice, Samuel Alito, is the only other Supreme Court Justice demands an extension.
Seven other judges filed their disclosures on time. They released it publicly on Wednesday.
No public It was recently revealed that Thomas has been taking Crowe’s luxury travel for decades. The Texas real estate developer also purchased properties belonging to the family of conservative Georgia judges and funded part of his great-nephew’s private schooling.
The revelations have sparked harsh criticism of Thomas’ failure to disclose the relationship and calls for ethics reform at the Supreme Court. Crowe said the gestures were out of friendship and not inappropriate.
The Democratic-led Senate Judiciary Committee has sought information from Crowe about his relationship with Thomas, but the billionaire has rejected those requests.
On Monday, an attorney for Crow said he was willing to speak with the Judiciary Committee staff, though he had “concerns” about the committee’s powers to investigate the situation.
Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-I., the committee chairmen, pushed back at the lawyers’ stance and suggested they might subpoena Crow.
“Let’s be clear: Harlan Crow is not calling the shots here. He is not a branch of government — not even a member of it, and cannot claim the protections and privileges of anyone,” two lawmakers said Monday.
“The Senate Judiciary Committee has clearly established oversight and legislative powers to assess and address the moral crisis facing the Court. All options are on the table moving forward.”
crow recently told Atlantic Organization: “I believe that Justice Thomas is a man of the highest moral character.
He also said, “It’s kind of weird to think that if you’re a Supreme Court justice, you can’t have friends.”