Fix the Court, the group that released the findings, calculated the total in gifts from January 2004 to December 2023 and said the nine current justices received 344 gifts totaling nearly $3million.
Supreme Court justices received $3million in gifts throughout the last two decades, a watchdog group revealed on Thursday - with controversial Justice Clarence Thomas accounting for nearly 80 percent.
Thomas, who has come under fire for accepting gifts from billionaire Harlan Crow, led the group of justices with the highest value of gifts accepted at $2.4million, according to Court News Service.
Fix the Court, the group that released the findings, calculated the total in gifts from January 2004 to December 2023 and said the nine current justices received 344 gifts totaling nearly $3million.
so why can’t anybody do anything? why does he still get to wear the robe and have such a say in the world? maybe the good guys should start breaking rules as well to get things done since the right has already established that precedent. they’re not gonna just start playing nice because the democrats are.
This is how the American system works. He’s just not being classy about it.
Congressmembers do insider trading all the time and move into industry positions after they leave, having helped those exact industries (following the requests of their lobbyists). Congressmembers go straight to the top of boards for weapons manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, etc.
Regulators and other officials do the same thing. They cycle back and forth between the industries they’re supposed to reign in and supposedly the job where they do reign them in. Work for the FCC -> work for a telecom -> FCC -> telecom.
In terms of the Supreme Court itself, it is an illegitimate body that has legitimacy only because the other two branches give it to them. Their major powers are not in the constitution and they have very few rules to follow.
You are right that gaining power to establish justice is what really matters, not “the rules” (which are always selectively applied). But it really depends on what you mean by the “good guys”. If you mean Democrats, unfortunately they are also deeply embedded in this system and are not champions against it. They maintain power through the same kinds of industry connections and exit strategies and insider training. Their electoral apparatus is built on getting donations from companies and their executives so that they can buy ads and canvassers and phone bankers and data nerds to reach out and drive likely voters to turn out for them.
I’ve been in high-ish level Dem offices on various occasions. They put a lot of effort into shmoozing with donors and doing everything they can to get more money from likely donors. Big and small, though big get the most attention. The idea of building their base of power from the action of motivated grassroots individuals is rejected. And that’s the only real base of power that is likely to reflect justice.
the good guys should start breaking rules
The rich right supports people like their Proud Boys, Three Percenters and the Oath Keepers to keep people in line but not so much on the left and they are dealt with much more harshly by law enforcement for the similar crimes.
Because all US politicians do this. Including all the ones on the Supreme Court. The entire system is corrupt. That’s why Roberts wont go before anyone and discuss it or why no one is really pushing too hard to do anything to him about it. They all do the same thing in one form or the other.
