Congress Requesting Further Action Regarding Justice Thomas
Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28) Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee today sent a follow-up letter to the US Judicial Conference requesting that the matter of Justice Clarence Thomas’s failure to disclose required financial information be referred to the US Attorney General.
The letter, signed by 52 Members of Congress, was drafted after new details emerged showing Justice Thomas correctly disclosed his wife’s income for at least 7 years before failing to disclose the same information between 1997-2007. Other records, filed by Mrs. Thomas’ employers, indicate she was paid at least $1.6 million (previously known to be approximately $700,000) during the years her husband reported she had no income. Willful failure to disclose required information would be a violation of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978.
Said Slaughter, “The new details that have emerged show that Justice Thomas had a firm understanding of the steps necessary to properly disclose all information required by federal law. Knowing this, his failure to properly disclose financial information between 1997 and 2007 is even more curious. It is high time that the appropriate authorities fully investigate this issue to determine if his failure to disclose this information was willful.”
In addition, Rep. Slaughter delivered a petition that had been circulated by CREDO Action, calling for similar action. The petition was signed by 131,386 Americans, and called on the Judicial Conference to refer the issue of Justice Thomas’s non-disclosure to the US Attorney General for further action.
Of the petition, Slaughter said “CREDO Action members have played a huge role in our efforts to hold Justice Thomas accountable. This petition is proof that the American people care deeply about the integrity of their courts. Regardless of one’s title, no one should be above the law.”
Between 1997 and 2007 Justice Thomas checked the box “none” for spousal income on his annual financial disclosure forms, despite the fact that Virginia Thomas earned income from several organizations during this time period, including the Heritage Foundation. When the inaccurate disclosures were made public, the Justice amended his forms and stated that he had misunderstood the reporting requirement.
Newly found copies of old disclosure forms indicate that Justice Thomas had properly completed his disclosure forms for at least 7 years before he began checking “NONE” on the section seeking details about his wife’s employment. Those copies also indicate that Justice Thomas failed to make proper disclosures for a total of 13 years (previously known to be at least 5). Other records, filed by Mrs. Thomas’ employers, indicate she was paid at least $1.6 million (previously known to be approximately $700,000) during the years her husband reported she had no income.
The Ethics in Government Act of 1978 requires the Judicial Conference, an administrative agency for the federal courts, to refer to the Attorney General any judge or justice whom it has “reasonable cause” to believe willfully failed to make required disclosures.
Slaughter has previously worked to bring clarity to the questions surrounding Justice Thomas’s failure to properly disclose financial information.
On September 29th, Slaughter led a letter of 20 Members of Congress asking the Judicial Conference to take action regarding Justice Thomas’s apparent violations of the Ethics in Government Act. On October 14th the Judicial Conference replied to report that this letter was referred to Judicial Conference Committee on Financial Disclosure.
With today’s letter, Slaughter continues her efforts to seek appropriate answers to the outstanding questions regarding Justice Thomas’s financial disclosure.
- View the petition from CREDO Action here.
- View the September 29th letter from 20 Members of Congress to the Judicial Conference here.
- View the October 14th response from the Judicial Conference here.
- View the letter from Slaughter and 51 Members of Congress below. For a full list of signers, click here.
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Wow Louise Slaughter is posting at wnymedia what a surprise!
This is nothing more than political tit for tat because the right has a legitimate complaint against Kagan. Earth to to Louise neither one will go. I am sure you know that.
I would just like to take the opportunity here to send Louise the message that is so often used around here and is considered appropriate journalism.
FUCK YOU
Oh Allen Miller you are so right how often do you get to tell an old liberal hag bag like louise Fuck You.
How old is Louise now 108? Her mind is long past gone.
Fuck You Louise, I do agree with you on abortion if only your mother had one.
Thank you congresswoman Slaughter – if we actually can remove him retroactively and nullify the outrageous, antidemocratic Citizens United along with removing this malignant tumor from the Court, you’ll have aided the country immeasurably. And the crass response from our Fox News constituency indicates you’re hitting a nerve. Happy Thanksgiving!
Jeez Louise! You are nothing but a racists when a black man doesn’t share your views.
Damn that constitution it just keeps getting in the way. Bbill for your information if it were up to Louise we would not have Fox News that’s the nerve she is tickling with you. She already tried to get rid of evil right wing talk radio with the fairness act. Only NPR and MSNBC for us. I agree with the Fox News constituency Fuck You and happy Thanksgiving, just stay away from the carving blade because someone might mistake you for the turkey.
Why don’t you spend thanksgiving at one of the inner city homeless shelters you have in your districts. Take a drive in your limousine liberal wagon from your rich 1% home that was gerrymandered the width of the highway from your house to your district.
The childishness of supposed adults is stunning.
Allen Miller aka Earl gonzolas Aka OccupyCongress how many more names are you going to post under.
Comments 1,2, and 4 are great examples of the new right, rude, crude, and lacking any substance that might lead to an intelligent debate. We have reached in impasse only because extremists on the right have closed the door to compromise or reason.
Bbill for your information if it were up to Louise we would not have Fox News that’s the nerve she is tickling with you.
If it were up to me we would not have Fox News as demand for it would shrink as the populace became better educated.
Actually, Occupy, Louise was originally slated to run against Tom Reynolds in a “fair fight” district after the 2000 census. It was her putative opponent who went to Albany, spreading wisdom and cash around, who got “Tom’s Law” passed to allow him his rightful inheritance of NY26 while sticking Louise with the stupidass earmuff district including a ton of WNY voters who had no idea who she was.
My hope is she will retire gracefully, allowing all of WNY to be redistricted to Quinn, Hochul and Reed in a way that will produce a net gain in the House.
GO GET ‘EM, LOUISE!!
A more honest title for this post would be
“Ultra Far Left Part of Congress Requesting to Finish High Tech Lynching of Conservative Justice Thomas That Failed During Nomination”.
Now time for a little honesty by everyone and the real reason for Slaughters action on this.
There is no doubt the left is looking to nullify the movement by the right to get Kagen to recuse herself on the so called “Affordable Care Act” case coming up in spring. A bill which Slaughter as rules committee chair wanted to “Deem as Passed” when the going got rough.
Slaughter’s largest focus in her all too long career has been to insure abortion rights. She now fears the possibility SCOTUS will overturn the so called “Affordable Care Act” which forces tax payers who are opposed to abortion to pay for them. Slaughter practically single handled created the clean term “Choice” over abortion because abortion is just too ugly of a term for a horrific act to end the most innocent of life we have. Now she wants it to go from choice to forcing those who are repulsed by the act to pay for it.
For you Fox News and conservative radio haters, too bad, they are not going anywhere. Accept the fact that the people people behind it have an opinion and a right to express it. Accept the fact that you are just as bad as the people you call right wing haters are. You are left wing haters who when you have nothing to say after losing an argument you devolve to using slurs.
Thomas, like every Supreme Court Justice appointed by a Republican since Earl Warren, is utterly and completely corrupt, just another whore for the corporatists.
Brian of course he is a tool of the right. That’s how it works, Kagen is a tool forof the left
as for being a whore you just blew away Jimd’s comment about being childish. he only meant iit about the rright. You proved him wrong.
As for Thomas being a whore then Slaughter should love him. Abortion providers need plenty of whores.
I can’t wait till Allen, reposts as Earl Gonzalez
How does Allen/Earl/OccupyCongress address this: “Willful failure to disclose required information would be a violation of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978″ and this: “..Justice Thomas correctly disclosed his wife’s income for at least 7 years before failing to disclose the same information between 1997-2007″? If the response is to attack Kagan, then it is the PeeWee Herman defense.
Allen/Earl/OccupyCongress (aka the Unholy Triumverate) in action!
http://thepoliticalcarnival.net/2011/11/03/video-tea-bagger-heckler-to-elizabeth-warren-youre-a-socialist-whore/
@15 Magoo
OK lets say you are right and its not just Political claptrap about an effort to get Thomas to recuse himself from the upcoming decision on the healthcare law. Let’s also say that you have not been paying attention to the fact that Kagan was Obama’s solicitor general on Obama Care and thought it was amazing and that fact should bring into question her judgement.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/11/then-solicitor-general-kagan-on-health-care-bill-wrote-i-hear-they-have-the-votes-simply-amazing/
Why didn’t the intelligent left not see it since 1997? Tell me they were not just holding this somewhat worthless political fact until just the right time and it is now when the Obama appointee (or whore as Brian Wood thoughtfully likes to call our supreme court justices he does not agree with). Supreme court members are there for life, they either retire, die or are impeached. Thomas isn’t planning to to accommodate slaughter on the first two so bring on the impeachment it should be a lot of fun finishing off the high tech lynching of the first black republican appointed supreme court member.
Bbill
I condemn calling someone calling Elizabeth Warren a whore. I may not agree with her but that is wrong whether it is OWS or Tea Partiers doing it.
One more quick point Kudos to Kathy Hochul she voted for the balanced budget amendment. I am fine with any democrat that acts conservative.
By the way I am also Alan Bedenko I just like arguing with myself.
How come she refers to herself in the 3rd person?
@Allen: Let’s ‘just say’ I’m right? Was I or not? I don’t mean the things you invented me saying. How do you ignore or deny the fact of what I quoted WITHOUT bringing Kagan into the mix? Without the PeeWee defense?
Don’t expect or demand people defend YOUR characterization of their positions. That’s just shoddy, weak and lazy. I didn’t make any insinuations nor characterizations of your position. I just asked you to square those statements without resorting to “I know you are but what am I?”
Magoo, your response to my convoluted response to your convoluted question is even more convoluted so let me try it this way.
the problem is its just politics. Slaughter in an attempt to sling dirt at Thomas quotes
“Willful failure to disclose required information would be a violation of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978″
Another date in history 1913 in that year the 16th amendment was ratified which deems United States Citizens are legally obligated to pay Federal taxes.
Our current Secretary of the Treasury .001%er Timothy Geithner (and many other Obama cabinet members) failed to do so properly. They amended their tax returns (except for Poor Tom Daschle) and now server the people of the United States. If the Secretary of the Treasury, can get away with a technical error for forgetting to check a box and later going back and checking it so can a Supreme Court Judge.
By the way everyone I am also Mr.F.N.Magoo because I really like having stupid arguments with myself.
Howard
The reason is because she did not write it, one of her aides did. Louise has not touched a keyboard since her brand new IBM Selectric in 1961. (I think she was 57 then) She probably is not even aware that she posted here.
BTW Howard that’s a handsome building the Statler Hotel. I am looking at buying the historic Jonathan Child House in Rochester (first mayor of Rochester) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Child_House_%26_Brewster-Burke_House_Historic_District
My foreclosure, bankruptcy processing and mortgage refinancing business is really going crazy and I need a new place to put it. (I love historic city buildings) Thanks to the Obama economy there is an endless supply of foreclosures and bankruptcies. I am really thinking of voting for him again. It’s an odd felling kind of like Alan Bedenko crashing in my new BMW. Very mixed emotions.
@ Allen Miller – “your response to my convoluted response to your convoluted question is even more convoluted so let me try it this way.” Two words – Inygo montoya. Two more words – Merriam-Webster.
Allen, how do you know what I meant? I’d prefer to see adults act like adults. This whole post is emblematic of our public discourse. We talk past each other and when that fails engage in tit for tat bullshit.
@24 Magoo
This is rich, you criticize me for misspelling telling me to get a dictionary and you misspell
Inygo montoya it’s Inigo Montoya no “y’ in Inigo, with both words capitalized. It’s a proper name.
http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0003786/
Then you imply I am fictional. What you were born into the Magoo family? I could only imagine what F.N. stands for. Most likely you are only a Master and not a Mister, because I doubt you are even 16.
jimd
I made an assumption, possible I was wrong, if so I apologize.
I as everyone here like to blog and express my political opinion. I understand the people that manage this blog have liberal beliefs and points of view. At first I tried to express my opinions without using slurs, profanity and ad hominem. However when I would make a point expecting the issue to be challenged on the facts, I would usually receive responses that have profanity, accusations of being insane and my opinions are baseless because of the news outlets I supposedly watch. Rarely is the point addressed. An intelligent conversation is considered one that I agree with whatever is being said. Take this post for example. I truly believe that Louise Slaughter is bringing this up because of the attack by conservatives trying to get Elizabeth Kagen to recuse herself. she wants to even things up. I think its nothing more than politics and nothing will become of either Supreme Court Justice and they will both hear the upcoming challenge of the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010″ often referred to as ObamaCare.
If every politician/government official followed every single bureaucratic rule and a violation of them meant they would not be able to serve, we would get nothing done and Timothy Geithner would not be Treasury Secretary along with scores of other politicians from both sides.
Often what we have on this blog is a Occupy Wall Street mentality along with a bending of the facts to prove our points (ALL OF US) . The Occupy Walls Street mentality often goes like this:
None of us are perfect or correct all the time. We can all learn from one. I personally took a second look at Occupy Wall street movement from my coming around here. The change in my beliefs are that I agree the concentration of wealth in a the hands of the few are bad. What I also believe from personal experience is that people are getting a bad deal as result government policies to this day have not been corrected situations such as re-instituting Glass Steagall. What I see first hand is the government continuing to try to prop up mortgages that should not have been given in the first place and a failure by the banks properly recognize debt to income ratios and give mortgage modifications to people who could pay them back, but because of poor scoring of their financial situations and not an honest assessment of ability to pay back a modified mortgage . The banks find it easier to just foreclose. (many of these people get processed by me and not a one ever knows who I am) However blocking delicatessen entrances, streets and fighting with police in the streets is not going to solve the problem. We need honest real change and I do not see it coming anywhere all I heard were platitudes and speeches from our politicians. (Most of them)
@Allen Miller – Yep, I did misspell it. But the reference was to your misuse of ‘convoluted’, not its spelling and (I’m baffled how you came to this conclusion) to you being a fictional character.
Now look up ‘obtuse’. You’ll see your picture.
Allen I agree with much of your sentiment. The Occupy movement and the Tea Party have much in common, unfortunately part of the commonality is fringe nutballs with big mouths. All I’m saying regarding this site is we should be better than the goofballs who try to engage in shit fights.