Headline RoundupApril 17th, 2023

Did Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas Violate Ethics Rules?

Summary from the AllSides News Team

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is facing criticism following reports that he failed to disclose financial deals and gifts accepted from Republican mega donor Harlan Crow. Thomas intends to amend his financial disclosure forms to reflect the sale, but the backlash remains a top topic in outlets across the spectrum. 

From The Left: Political analyst and reported friend of Thomas wrote that “the facts now show Thomas has damaged the court,” arguing that “it doesn’t matter if you are conservative or liberal. We can all agree Democracy does not work when the Supreme Court becomes a gated community.” An analysis in Vox (Left Bias) broke down the ethical guidelines for Supreme Court Justices, determining that “a major issue raised by Thomas’s actions is that there’s currently limited accountability for Supreme Court justices even if they make ethics violations as egregious as those documented by ProPublica.”

From The Right: A writer in the New York Post determined the media attention surrounding Thomas and Crow is rooted in “a hatred of black conservatives and a hatred of billionaires.” The writer defended Thomas’s court record, stating, “anyone can read Thomas’ opinions, as well as his other public declarations in speeches and occasional articles, to see that he has a deep foundation for his jurisprudence.” A writer in the Wall Street Journal Opinion (Lean Right Bias) argued Thomas’s failure to disclose the real estate deal in question was an “honest mistake” and criticized the reporting done in the original piece by ProPublica (Lean Left Bias).

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