The attorney for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said that a billionaire purchased his childhood residence after he saw it was in a “dangerous” neighborhood following his clients’ financial disclosure being made public this week.
The revelation was included in the Aug. 31 statement from lawyer Elliot S. Berke. The particulars and acknowledgment of the sale of the Savannah, Georgia, home — which his 94-year-old mother still abides in without paying rent — comes after an investigation from ProPublica and amid looming criticism about his ethics, which has led to calls for resignation.
Thomas’ response to the controversy has been scant. The statement from his attorneys is the most detailed rebuttal to all of ethics concerns so far, answering to a slew of allegations.
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“In 2014, Harlan Crow, a longtime friend of Justice and Mrs. Thomas, visited Savannah with Justice Thomas,” Berke said, justifying the sale. “Mr. Crow witnessed firsthand how the neighborhood was blighted and dangerous with derelicts, drug users, and junkies, notably in the house next to the Justice’s mother and in the other houses on her street.”
Clarence told Crow that he plans to demolish the property when his mother dies. However, according to the statement, the billionaire suggested that he preserve the property for a museum — similar to his previous efforts to maintain landmarks connected to Clarence’s life. Berke noted that his client did not receive “any financial benefits” from those projects.
“With respect to the 2014 Savannah transaction, Mr. Crow bought the three parcels in which Justice Thomas had a one-third ownership interest for $133,000, along with the remaining houses/lots with numbers 540 to 550 on the same street,” the…
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