A new investigation by The Washington Post reports nearly $600,000 in anonymous donations to Crowdsourcers for Culture and Liberty, a right-wing activist organization led by Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. The money was channeled through the Capital Research Center, a conservative think tank. According to the Post, “the arrangement, known as a ‘fiscal sponsorship,’ effectively shielded from public view details about Crowdsourcers’ activities and spending, information it would have had to disclose publicly if it operated as a separate nonprofit organization, experts said.”
It’s just the latest instance of the Thomases’ conduct creating questions about conflicts of interest. But the problem runs deeper, mainstreaming Ginni Thomas’ favorite conspiracy theories that demonize fellow Americans, with no accountability as to the sources of her funding.
This is not Ginni Thomas’ first time in the spotlight for the conflicts her activism poses for her husband’s appearance of impartiality
No Supreme Court rules exist to address the problem posed by the funding of Crowdsourcers — or any other larger ethics problem posed by Ginni Thomas’ activism. (A lawyer for Ginni Thomas told the Post that “she has complied with all reporting and disclosure requirements.”) Stephen Gillers, a legal ethics expert at New York University, told the Post there is no rule for when “one half of a married couple is at the ramparts on political issues that then get translated into legal issues that her husband has to decide.” The high court has recently come under increased pressure to adopt stronger ethics mandates, especially after the leak of a draft ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the court’s failed attempt to identify the leaker and allegations that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito leaked the outcome of a 2014 case. And while Supreme Court justices are expected to recuse themselves for financial conflicts of interest…
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