The release of the Supreme Court justices’ annual financial disclosure reports has shed light on the substantial gifts and royalties received by the members of the nation’s highest court. Among the notable disclosures is Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s receipt of four Beyoncé concert tickets worth nearly $4,000, as well as artwork for her chambers and a significant $893,750 advance from Penguin Random House for her upcoming memoir.
Other justices also reported considerable income and gifts. Justice Brett Kavanaugh disclosed $340,000 in book royalties from the Javelin Group LLC and Regnery Publishing, while Justice Clarence Thomas received two photo albums from Terrence and Barbara Giroux, with the latter serving as the executive director of the Horatio Alger Association, of which Thomas is a member.
According to a report from the watchdog group Fix The Court, the Supreme Court justices collectively received at least 344 gifts worth $3 million between January 2004 and December 2023. Justice Clarence Thomas, who has served on the Court longer than any of his current colleagues, received the largest portion, totaling more than $4,000,000, primarily from Republican donor and real estate billionaire Harlan Crow, a long-time family friend who regularly invites Thomas and his wife on complimentary vacations.
The financial disclosures come amidst increased partisan attacks on the Court’s conservative justices by leftwing activists. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas have become targets of a leftwing pressure campaign demanding their recusal from cases involving former President Donald Trump and even calling for their removal from the Court.
The revelations from the financial disclosure reports are likely to fuel further debate about the influence of money and gifts on the Supreme Court and the need for greater transparency and accountability in the nation’s highest court.
