Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito are expected to file their annual financial disclosures on Monday after requesting an extension in June.
Thomas and Alito requested an extension under the Ethics in Government Act, allowing justices to file up to 90 days past the original file date. The pair has received stark criticism from Democrats and left-leaning judicial ethics advocates for their relationships with conservative megadonors. Both justices have defended the friendships and trips.
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Several reports from ProPublica released this year alleged the associate justices failed to disclose travel, real estate, and other luxury gifts from donors. The reports kick-started a campaign by congressional Democrats who are calling on the Supreme Court to implement a binding ethics code, either through Chief Justice John Roberts or by an act of Congress.
A ProPublica report from last week claimed that Thomas had accepted at least 38 vacations, 26 international private jet flights (plus an additional eight by helicopter), 12 VIP passes to sporting events, and two resort stays while serving on the high court's bench.
The outlet also published an article that claimed Alito accepted a luxury fishing trip in 2018 from a billionaire who had cases appear before the Supreme Court. While Thomas has remained relatively silent on the reports against him, Alito wrote an op-ed to the Wall Street Journal denying the allegations.
With Monday's deadline, more trips and gifts could be disclosed from the pair than would have previously, given the high level of scrutiny. Thomas said in April he was "advised" not to disclose trips paid for by GOP megadonor Harlan Crow for himself and his wife, Ginni Thomas, but later noted the guidelines for disclosures had "recently changed" and that it was his "intent to follow this guidance in the future."
Thomas and Republicans have alleged he is a victim of a smear campaign targeting conservative justices and a Democratic attempt to undermine the high court's legitimacy. Alito recently defended himself in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, saying he has marveled at "all the nonsense that has been written" about him.
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On the other side of the aisle, Democrats are taking steps at the congressional level to install a code of ethics for Supreme Court justices. Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee pushed Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse's (D-RI) Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act through the committee on a party-line vote last month. It has a slim chance of becoming law, as most Republicans have come out against the bill, but it serves as one of the strongest congressional actions to date involving misconduct and conflicts of interest at the Supreme Court.
House Democrats have also called for a Justice Department investigation into Thomas, saying his failure to disclose information could carry civil and criminal legal penalties.