The United States Supreme Court justices’ financial disclosures for the past year were made public on Friday, revealing some interesting details. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson received Beyoncé tickets as a gift from the singer, while Justice Clarence Thomas disclosed two trips gifted from a major GOP donor, Harlan Crow. These disclosures come after Justice Thomas faced criticism earlier this year for similar gifts.
Four of the justices also disclosed financials related to book deals. Justice Brown Jackson made over $893,000 for a book advance for a yet-to-be-released memoir, while Justice Kavanaugh received $340,000 for a forthcoming “legal memoir”.
Justice Thomas included in his report a disclosure that he took two trips with Mr. Crow in 2019, one to Bali and one to California. The trips were gifted to him, but the exact monetary value was not disclosed. ProPublica reported that the Bali trip may have cost as much as $500,000.
Justice Thomas has reportedly accepted vacations from Mr. Crow nearly every year for two decades, leading to scrutiny and criticism. Other justices, including Neil Gorsuch, Sonia Sotomayor, and Brett Kavanaugh, also faced criticism for similar omissions in their disclosures last year.
Overall, the financial disclosures of the Supreme Court justices provide insight into their financial activities and relationships with donors and public figures.