Noah Bookbinder: Clarence Thomas' latest scandals are poison for the Supreme Court, an institution built on public trust. Credibility is its currency. And that foundation of credibility is already eroding.
complaint
to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Chief Justice John Roberts, Thomas’ decision not to disclose these luxuries as gifts or in-kind travel-reimbursements, and concealing the real estate transactions without properly disclosing them on his financial disclosure reports, likely violated the Ethics in Government Act.
But his decades of deception will have a far deeper impact on our democracy. What else might he be hiding? And are other justices concealing similar relationships with wealthy and powerful activists? These questions will naturally lead the public to wonder whether any member of the Supreme Court is truly independent — and whether the court itself can render impartial justice at all.
This is poison for the Supreme Court. It is an institution built on a foundation of public trust: It does not have the power of the purse or the authority to enforce the laws that it interprets. Credibility is its currency. And that foundation of credibility is already eroding. Even before this scandal, Americans’ confidence in the Supreme Court was already at the
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