The bad news about Justice Clarence Thomas of the US Supreme Court is getting worse with more revelations of Justice Thomas keeping a secret that he has received hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of gifts from a billionaire political donor suspected of buying votes on issues that are, or soon may be, considered by the Court. The latest bad news is about Justice Thomas receiving from that political donor some round-trip private jet travel between various destinations in the US and once even to Indonesia for an 8-day yachting vacation, courtesy of the ever-generous political donor. None of which did Justice Thomas disclose in his personal financial reports the Justices have pledged to disclose. The reason we know about it is that the US Congress is investigating money gifts to members of the Court, and the media, and a few members of Congress, are asking questions that have embarrassed the Court into creating, oh reluctantly, the first Supreme Court code of ethics in 200 years. There is strong language in the code requiring Justices to itemize the gifts they receive and whom they’re from, but very weak language on how to enforce the code. For almost 200 years, the Court avoided a code until now it’s created a great code of ethics that seems to be unethical.

Walter Jacobson gives his Perspective: