Sherrill Statement on Justice Clarence Thomas

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill – a former federal prosecutor and leader on Court reform – released the following statement after new reports show that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas took three additional undisclosed trips paid for by GOP billionaire mega donor Harlan Crow: 

“Justice Thomas has clearly been corrupted by Harlan Crow. Justice Alito has been corrupted by Paul Singer. These ‘friends of the Court’ have clearly gotten what they’ve paid for. Congress needs to pass the Supreme Court Ethics and Investigations Act to address this crisis and bring accountability to the nation’s highest court,” said Rep. Mikie Sherrill.

Sherrill is working to restore public trust in the federal judiciary. In response to high profile ethical scandals by Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, she introduced the Supreme Court Ethics and Investigations Act which would establish a dedicated investigative body and ethics counsel within the Supreme Court that would provide transparency and accountability through exhaustive investigations into alleged ethical improprieties and reports to Congress on its findings. 

Rep. Sherrill also introduced the End Judge Shopping Act of 2023 last year in direct response to the April 2023 decision in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA. Anti-abortion advocates filed their case in the Amarillo Division of the Northern District of Texas to guarantee Judge Kacsmaryk would hear their case to overturn the FDA’s decades old approval of Mifepristone, a safe and commonly-used form of medication abortion. Extremists were able to use “judge shopping” to pick a division and a judge they knew would rule in their favor with a nationwide injunction. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a major watchdog organization, endorsed the legislation. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) introduced similar legislation in April.

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