A recent report by ProPublica reveals that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas accepted more vacations and gifts from billionaire donors than previously known. Thomas allegedly failed to disclose at least 38 vacations, 26 private jet flights, eight helicopter flights, VIP passes to sporting events, and stays at luxury resorts. The report suggests that Thomas may have violated the law by not disclosing these gifts. The billionaire benefactors include Harlan Crow, who paid for Thomas' vacations and other expenses, and other major donors to conservative causes. The undisclosed trips received by Thomas since his appointment in 1991 could be worth millions.
This revelation adds to the ongoing scrutiny of Supreme Court justices and the ethics rules they should adhere to. Justice Samuel Alito has also faced similar scrutiny for his fishing trip with a billionaire donor, Paul Singer, who had cases before the Supreme Court. Legal experts argue that these justices should have disclosed these free trips. The lack of a code of ethics for the Supreme Court has become a concern for Americans across the political spectrum. Chief Justice John Roberts has mentioned the court's efforts to establish an ethics code, but no progress has been made so far.
It is unsurprising that the highest members of the judiciary in the United States receive kickbacks and donations from the class which they serve, the oligarchic billionaires. In contrast to liberal claims that the court system is “broken”, they are in actuality functioning as they are designed. The owners of capital are the dominant class in society, and they use all societal mechanisms at their disposal to continue their exploitation and justify their class rule, including legal methods. As long as capitalism exists, the “privileged classes” will continue to use the judiciary as a means of enacting the societal decrees which benefit itself as a class, to the detriment of the masses.
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