It was bad enough learning that Supreme Handout Receiver Clarence Thomas has been getting bankrolled under the table for 25 years, but the (barely) saving grace was that these “gifts” were from dear friends. Turns out even that was the sanitized narrative. Master sleuths ProPublica found dirt suggesting the reason the gifts started flowing so steadily was Thomas strong armed monied republicans with an ultimatum: 877-CASH NOW or I quit:
After almost a decade on the court, Thomas had grown frustrated with his financial situation, according to friends. …At the resort, Thomas gave a speech at an off-the-record conservative conference. He found himself seated next to a Republican member of Congress on the flight home. The two men talked, and the lawmaker left the conversation worried that Thomas might resign.
Congress should give Supreme Court justices a pay raise, Thomas told him. If lawmakers didn’t act, “one or more justices will leave soon” — maybe in the next year.
Come on now, Clarence. Even you could have done better than “a little birdie told me”-ing your way into getting your bills paid. Did the bootstrapping narrative not apply to you once you borrowed that 270k to maintain your everyman RV image? It’s not like he was scraping the bottom of the income barrel — his salary at the time would be about 300k in today’s money.
Whether you want a better scholarship offer from a law school or a higher salary from your firm, threatening to leave is a time-honored strategy. One thing about that though — you generally also have to show that your alternative is actually a viable one:
Not the point, obviously, but the idea that Clarence Thomas would resign from the Supreme Court to become a BigLaw partner is so funny. The guy actually practiced law for like 3 years, more than four decades ago! He’d have no idea what to do lol https://t.co/mk2QJpRrL7 pic.twitter.com/fDQiljg1pV
— Jay Willis (@jaywillis) December 18, 2023
When most people find themselves in financial straits they either, tighten up their belts or delay the pain with a credit card. But who needs a Visa when you have lending options at Clarence Rates™?
One of the motivating factors for giving Supreme Court justices having a decent salary is to mitigate the risk that they would be, I don’t know, bought off by multi-billionares attempting to curry favor. Unfortunately, that’s apparently not enough of a failsafe. Reminder: the all the income disclosure violations and ethical code fights are because Thomas needed someone to subsidize his luxury. We’re talking decades of unpunished judicial impropriety because someone wanted to keep up with the Joneses. If that doesn’t undermine your trust in the institution, I’m not quite sure what will.
Today we learned that Clarence Thomas’s salary complaints sparked fears that he would resign. Not long after, he was inundated with gifts from GOP megadonors (some of which I highlighted in this video).
He must resign or be impeached if SCOTUS is going to retain any credibility. pic.twitter.com/40B0ByHr4N
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) December 18, 2023
Public servant my ass.
A “Delicate Matter”: Clarence Thomas’ Private Complaints About Money Sparked Fears He Would Resign [ProPublica]
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s. He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.