Headline Roundup • April 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).
Featured Coverage of this Story
John Amis/Associated Press
Clarence Thomas lost his beloved maternal grandparents barely a month apart in the spring of 1983. Myers Anderson, whom his grandson knew as “Daddy,” died of a stroke on March 30. Christine Anderson, known as “Aunt Tina,” suffered a stroke as well and died on May 1. “Perhaps, I thought, she’d lost the will to live,” Justice Thomas writes in his 2007 memoir, “My Grandfather’s Son.”
The Andersons, who were 75 and 70 respectively, are buried at Palmyra Baptist Church in Liberty County, Ga. When they died, Mr. Thomas was...
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has claimed on financial disclosure documents that his family received hundreds of thousands in income from a now-defunct real estate firm, according to a new report from the Washington Post.
The Post reports that Thomas said the income came from Ginger, Ltd., Partnership, a real estate firm launched by his wife, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, and her family, that was shut down in 2006.
A new firm was opened under the name Ginger Holdings, LLC, according to the report, but Thomas continued to claim income from the...
Oh, come on! Where’s the evidence that Justice Clarence Thomas is corrupt? Show me proof of him selling his vote on the Supreme Court!
Unfortunately, it is not that simple.
The real problem is that none of us can ever again get away from wondering.
AllSides Picks
Headline Roundup
EU Allows Tech Companies to Read Citizens' Private Messages Despite Majority Vote Against It
July 12th, 2026
