Legalized bribery has eroded trust in Supreme Court justices who took $4.7M in gifts

Supreme Court justices and their recently retired colleagues have accepted an estimated $4.69 million in gifts since 2004, according to new data from the judicial watchdog Fix the Court, a tally that underscores the growing ethics crisis enveloping the nation’s highest court.

The updated figures reveal the justices accepted at least 37 gifts valued at $16,588 after adopting a Code of Conduct in late 2023, a development advocates say does little to address systemic ethical failures.

The organization identified 185 new gifts to current justices since its last tally, bringing the total to 515 gifts valued at $3.62 million from Jan. 1, 2004, through recent disclosures. Including recent retirees, the full count stands at 735 gifts worth $4.69 million.

Justice Clarence Thomas remains the most prolific recipient by a staggering margin, accepting 206 gifts valued at an estimated $4.02 million overall. Of 130 gifts since 2004, Thomas disclosed only 14 of the 120 that exceeded reporting thresholds — a compliance rate of just 11.7%, according to Fix the Court’s analysis.

“What the public sees is a system that permits what amounts to legalized bribery,” said Gabe Roth, executive director of Fix the Court, in a statement. “Refraining from accepting a legion of benefits would be an important step the justices could take toward restoring some of that confidence.”

The late Justice Antonin Scalia ranked second in gift value, receiving an estimated $219,179 overall across 93 gifts. He disclosed only 33.3% of his reportable post-2004 gifts.

The data come as public confidence in the Supreme Court has collapsed to historic lows, driven in part by revelations that Thomas took luxury vacations and private jet travel from billionaire Republican donor Harlan Crow for more than two decades without disclosure.

Then-Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin responded to earlier ProPublica reporting by declaring: “The highest court in the land shouldn’t have the lowest ethical standards.”

Fix the Court’s methodology included open records requests to public universities, review of financial disclosures, and the Senate Judiciary Committee’s December 2024 ethics report. The organization included honorary degrees for the first time after identifying physical regalia in graduation ceremony photos.

Excluding Thomas and Scalia, the remaining justices reported 89.7% of gifts exceeding reporting thresholds, the watchdog said.

The court’s 2023 Code of Conduct, adopted amid mounting pressure, includes Canon 4D(3), requiring justices to comply with Judicial Conference gift restrictions. But advocates note those restrictions are minimal, allowing gifts up to $525 without disclosure.

Fix the Court continues to support the High Court Gift Ban Act and the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal and Transparency Act, which would require the court to adopt congressional rules prohibiting gifts valued above $50.

Roth said the group’s tally likely remains an undercount, citing unconfirmed gifts including a bronze bust in Thomas’ chambers and clothes Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wore for a magazine photo shoot. The organization plans to release a comprehensive report next month based on additional open records requests.