Of the nine justices of the United States Supreme Court, only Judge Clarence Thomas (second from left) and Judge Samuel Alito (seated fourth from left) did not file financial statements. They requested – and were granted – extensions.
Olivier Douliery / AFP via Getty Images
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Olivier Douliery / AFP via Getty Images
Of the nine justices of the United States Supreme Court, only Judge Clarence Thomas (second from left) and Judge Samuel Alito (seated fourth from left) did not file financial statements. They requested – and were granted – extensions.
Olivier Douliery / AFP via Getty Images
U.S. Supreme Court justices released their financial disclosure statements for 2022 under the Ethics in Government Act on Wednesday, but Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito requested — and approved — extension. Seven other judges tried to meet the deadline.
Thomas’ disclosure form has been eagerly awaited after news reports documenting previously undisclosed luxury travel worth hundreds of thousands of dollars paid for by major Republican donor Harlan Crow , as well as other gifts and real estate transactions with Crow.
But none of that information was released on Wednesday, nor was there any financial information from Justice Alito, who in previous years was the only justice to own a variety of stocks. , as opposed to professionally managed mutual funds.
As for the seven judges who made it on time, all of them took advantage of allowed ways to add outside income to their earnings under the Ethics in Government Act. But only one person, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who attended the trial last June, said had received any gift: A $1,200 congratulatory bouquet from Oprah Winfrey, possibly was after Jackson confirmed, and a $6,580 designer outfit she wore to a ceremony. fashion magazine magazine photography.
In 2022, judges earn $274,000 a year, except for the chief justice, who earns $286,000. But they are allowed to earn up to $30,000 for teaching. Judges Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh did just that, earning close to the cap at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia School of Law. Justice Amy Coney Barrett did the same at Notre Dame law school.
The code of ethics set forth by federal law for judges, and which judges are committed to following, also allows them to be paid for the books they write. Judge Sonia Sotomayor, who has earned more than $3.6 million in book royals and advances since her appointment to the court in 2009, said she has earned $149,000 in book royals. in 2022. Judge Gorsuch, whose book contract after joining the court brought him a total of $910,000, reported a writing income of $277.51 in 2022. Justice Thomas , who received a reported $1.5 million advance for her autobiography in 2003, has not reported royalties or other book income since.
Some judges also earn rental income: Judge Sotomayor on the New York apartment she bought and lived in before joining the court; Chief Justice Roberts at his vacation home in Maine and Ireland, and Judge Elena Kagan at a parking spot in Washington, DC
And then, of course, there’s the spouse’s income. Jane, the wife of Chief Justice Roberts, who gave up her legal career to avoid a potential conflict of interest when her husband became chief justice, has received some criticism for the work she is currently doing. recruiting legal talent. Some critics argue that the work also causes legal conflict, although many ethics experts disagree. However, the chief justice took it a step further this year, clarifying on his disclosure form that his wife owned shares in Macrae Inc., the recruitment company where she worked. Jane Roberts bought an equity stake in the company when she started working there, the chief judge wrote, and at the time it was valued at between $100,000 and $250,000.
Ultimately, seven judges filed disclosure forms on Wednesday, each of whom reported about half a dozen trips to speak, with all trips, sometimes abroad, being paid for by the host organization. pay.
