On Jan. 25, 2018, dozens of private jets descended on Palm Springs International Airport. Some of the richest people in the country were arriving for the annual winter donor summit of the Koch network, the political organization founded by libertarian billionaires Charles and David Koch. A long weekend of strategizing, relaxation in the California sun and high-dollar fundraising lay ahead.
Just after 6 p.m., a Gulfstream G200 jet touched down on the tarmac. One of the Koch network’s most powerful allies was on board: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
During the summit, the justice went to a private dinner for the network’s donors. Thomas has attended Koch donor events at least twice over the years, according to interviews with three former network employees and one major donor. The justice was brought in to speak, staffers said, in the hopes that such access would encourage donors to continue giving.
Don't forget the dirt on Alito.Could just change the name of the thread to "Clarence Thomas Whistleblower Thread"
sepAratE THreAd oNly!Don't forget the dirt on Alito.
Ouch.Critics have complained about the close friendships our justices have with many of the charitable donors involved in our rebrand, some of whom happen to have business before the court. But after years of diligent self-reporting and internal investigation, the court has found no evidence of inappropriate relationships. We assure the public that any conversations between donors and justices have been strictly limited to things like deep sea fishing, that it’s interesting how few prize sport fish there seem to be in the Gulf of Mexico these days, and how that has absolutely nothing to do with offshore oil drilling.
At this point, there’s no way the Alabama legislature capitulates and passes a map that complies - it’ll be done by court order.So they’ll capitulate now or try again with the racial gerrymandering?
At this point, there’s no way the Alabama legislature capitulates and passes a map that complies - it’ll be done by court order.
The absence of a code “has led in recent years to the misunderstanding that the Justices of this Court, unlike all other jurists in this country, regard themselves as unrestricted by any ethics rules,” the justices said in a statement. “To dispel this misunderstanding, we are issuing this Code, which largely represents a codification of principles that we have long regarded as governing our conduct.”