Posted on Apr 24, 2023
Justice Thomas gifts scandal highlights 'double standard' for ethics in government
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https://www.npr.org/2023/04/24/ [login to see] /justice-thomas-gifts-scandal-highlights-double-standard-for-ethics-in-government
Law enforcement is fond of saying "no one is above the law."
But the questions surrounding Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' unreported luxury gifts from a conservative billionaire over two decades are shedding light – once again – on the imbalance that ethics watchdogs say exists when it comes to who is held accountable and who is not.
"There's definitely a double standard at play here," said Walter Shaub, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Project on Government Oversight. "An executive branch employee or, for that matter, even a member of Congress who so flagrantly violated the financial disclosure law as Clarence Thomas had, would certainly face some sort of consequences for their actions."
Law enforcement is fond of saying "no one is above the law."
But the questions surrounding Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' unreported luxury gifts from a conservative billionaire over two decades are shedding light – once again – on the imbalance that ethics watchdogs say exists when it comes to who is held accountable and who is not.
"There's definitely a double standard at play here," said Walter Shaub, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Project on Government Oversight. "An executive branch employee or, for that matter, even a member of Congress who so flagrantly violated the financial disclosure law as Clarence Thomas had, would certainly face some sort of consequences for their actions."
Justice Thomas gifts scandal highlights 'double standard' for ethics in government
Posted from npr.org
Government
Supreme Court
Ethics
Posted 1 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel they say no one is above the law but we know how false that statement is.
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Supreme Court justices seem to enjoy special status, adhering to no code of ethics and with lifetime appointments.
"Federal employees in the executive branch, employees of Congress, members of Congress and even federal judges are all subject to strict ethics standards," Shaub explained. "And they probably would not have been able to accept gifts like this. They would have been told, in most cases, to either turn down the gifts or if they had already accepted them, repay them, which given that these gifts to Clarence Thomas appear to have cost millions, that would be a tall order."
Watchdogs worry that unless the Justice Department pursues action, the message to those vaunted nine on the Supreme Court — and to lots of other high-ranking officials — is that they actually are above the law.
"This is truly the most egregious financial disclosure violation I've seen in more than two decades of working in government ethics," Shaub noted, adding that there is what he calls a "culture of exceptionalism" at the Supreme Court, where rules that apply to the rest of government and even federal judges "shouldn't apply to them."
"I imagine your average employee's probably pretty annoyed at being held to a higher standard than a Supreme Court justice," he said."
..."Supreme Court justices seem to enjoy special status, adhering to no code of ethics and with lifetime appointments.
"Federal employees in the executive branch, employees of Congress, members of Congress and even federal judges are all subject to strict ethics standards," Shaub explained. "And they probably would not have been able to accept gifts like this. They would have been told, in most cases, to either turn down the gifts or if they had already accepted them, repay them, which given that these gifts to Clarence Thomas appear to have cost millions, that would be a tall order."
Watchdogs worry that unless the Justice Department pursues action, the message to those vaunted nine on the Supreme Court — and to lots of other high-ranking officials — is that they actually are above the law.
"This is truly the most egregious financial disclosure violation I've seen in more than two decades of working in government ethics," Shaub noted, adding that there is what he calls a "culture of exceptionalism" at the Supreme Court, where rules that apply to the rest of government and even federal judges "shouldn't apply to them."
"I imagine your average employee's probably pretty annoyed at being held to a higher standard than a Supreme Court justice," he said."
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Blatant disregard for basic ethics. I may be possible to impeach and remove him from the bench.
Rich
Rich
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