United States of America - April 2023

Democratic lawmakers have called for an ethics code for United States Supreme Court justices, after a report from Propublica revealed that Justice Clarence Thomas had received hospitality gifts from a conservative donor and billionaire Harlan Crow, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years. While Justice Thomas issued a statement indicating that, upon the advice of his peers, it was his belief such hospitality did not need to be disclosed, critics have questioned the propriety of receiving such benefits. Further investigations have revealed a real estate deal with Crow, fuelling further calls from lawmakers to the Supreme Court President, Justice Roberts, to testify before the Senate’s Judiciary Committee, to which he declined.

Sources: ProPublica, Cable News Network, National Public Radio