Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas declared two trips with billionaire Harlan Crow, his Republican megadonor friend, in financial disclosures filed for the past year.
Meanwhile, the court’s newest member, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, disclosed she was given nearly $4,000 worth of Beyonce tickets.
“Justice Jackson is crazy in love with Beyonce’s music. Who isn’t?” Supreme Court spokeswoman Patricia McCabe told The Washington Post.
Justice Jackson also had a book advance of more than $893,000. She is reportedly writing about her family history through segregation.
Justice Thomas visited Bali and a private California club with Mr. Crow in 2019. He previously didn’t disclose the trips, saying there was no requirement to do so.
Since then, the court has adopted ethics and disclosure changes.
The revelation comes after ProPublica published a series of articles last year about Justice Thomas and Mr. Crow, revealing they took several vacations together and shared financial dealings related to property and family tuition costs.
Critics said the gifts should have been documented and revealed concerns regarding transparency and ethics at the high court.
Both Mr. Crow and Justice Thomas have denied any wrongdoing and have defended their friendship.
Like Justice Jackson, Justice Neil M. Gorsuch and Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh also received book advances, but both were less than half the money Justice Jackson received, $250,000 and $340,000, respectively.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor received roughly $87,000 for book payments and $1,900 for a voice-over for a PBS cartoon.
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., who has been criticized by liberals over a supposed connection to a flag sympathetic to Jan. 6 defendants, was given an extension in filing his disclosure.
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