U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas formally disclosed two trips he took with Republican donor Harlan Crow in 2019, one to Bali and one to Monte Rio, California. The annual disclosure form noted that the trips were “inadvertently omitted at the time of filing” in 2019. The only other justice to report receiving gifts in new filing was Ketanji Brown Jackson, who was gifted four concert tickets from singer Beyoncé in 2023, valued at $3,711. Read more from CBS News.
The reports show several #SCOTUS justices earning additional income from teaching at #law schools & accepting free travel to speak at events at universities & #legal orgs.
Justice Samuel #Alito was granted an extension to file his report, as he has received in past yrs.
Fed #ethics law requires top ofcls from all branches of govt, incl the justices, to file annual disclosures listing investments, gifts, outside income & spousal income source so the public can assess #conflicts of interest.
#SCOTUS Justice Samuel A. #Alito Jr. has offered multiple accounts of how politically charged flags [#insurrectionist flags] came to fly outside his homes in VA & NJ — the type of display that is generally off-limits for judges, who must remain #impartial & avoid even the appearance of #bias as they handle cases.
…#Alito told Fox News …the neighborhood dispute began when his wife went to speak w/their neighbor Emily Baden in Jan 2021. #MarthaAnnAlito was upset the woman was displaying an anti #Trump sign, w/an expletive, “within 50 feet of where children await the school bus,” as Bream put it on…[social media].
But Fairfax County schools were shuttered at the time because of the coronavirus pandemic & had been since March 2020.
The most pivotal question about the #UpsideDown American #flag has yet to be fully answered: #MarthaAnnAlito’s motivation for flying it.
…The Alitos have not explicitly addressed whether the upside-down flag had a connection to #Jan6 or “Stop the Steal,” & Justice #Alito’s comments about his wife’s motivation for flying it have shifted.
…#MarthaAnnAlito, in her only known public comments about the flag, shouted at a WaPo reporter, “It’s an international sign of distress!”
…#Alito repeated his contention that a neighborhood dispute sparked the flag flying in a statement….
In letters Alito sent to Congress saying he would not recuse himself from the #Jan6 cases, however, the justice’s explanation subtly changed.…writing, “my wife’s reasons for flying the flag are not relevant for present purposes.”
…The letters include a much more specific explanation of why #MarthaAnnAlito flew the “#AppealToHeaven” flag at the couple’s vacation home….
#Alito said he “assumed” his wife was flying it for #religious & patriotic reasons. He definitively said neither he or his wife knew the flag was associated w/the “Stop the Steal” & it was not flown in solidarity w/that movement.
Have a look at the @publicspaces conference. I'm biased, but if you're interested in technology & it's impact on our society or work with civic oriented organisations & technology you need to check it out. Have a look at the schedule & the available live streams:
De komende 48u zal ik vooral toots versturen over de @publicspaces conferentie met de hashtag #pubconf2024.
Mocht je dus deze toots niet willen zien dan kun je hier op filteren, maar ik hoop eigenlijk dat je vooral inspiratie krijgt om te helpen met "Taking Back The Internet"!
Question of the day. Is the whole beautiful mass of free and open Internet knowledge now to be considered as the satanic mills of AI Gen Big Tech? At their mercy, to do with as they please.
Jesse #Barrett is a trial lawyer & managing partner at SouthBank Legal. He heads the firm’s Washington, DC, office, which opened after Justice Barrett joined the high court.
…the SouthBank Legal website says #JesseBarrett “focuses on #WhiteCollar#criminal defense, internal investigations, & complex commercial #litigation,” it notes,…that he has “represented a prominent #media company in a lawsuit alleging #defamation.”
"It [i.e., Trump's "bear hug" posting about Alito on Truth Social] was a marvelous distillation of the corrupt conservative-supermajority Supreme Court that Trump helped to create and which he sees as his ultimate salvation against the four – count ’em, FOUR – ongoing criminal prosecutions he faces."
In a letter to #Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-IL, & Sen Sheldon Whitehouse, D-RI, Roberts said he "must respectfully decline your request for a meeting," citing concerns about maintaining judicial independence.