Clarence Thomas Complained About Salary and Considered Resigning From SCOTUS Before Receiving Perks From GOP Megadonors: Report
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas allegedly complained about his salary and considered a potential resignation shortly before receiving several expensive gifts from GOP megadonors.
Dec. 18 2023, Published 4:30 p.m. ET
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas allegedly complained about his salary and considered a potential resignation shortly before receiving several expensive gifts from GOP megadonors, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In the latest revelation to come after Thomas faced backlash for the secret trips and gifts he received from GOP donors like Harlan Crow and the Koch brothers, a new report by ProPublica found that the SCOTUS justice almost resigned from the court more than 20 years ago.
A new report by ProPublica found that the SCOTUS justice almost resigned from the court more than 20 years ago.
According to ProPublica, Thomas traveled to a Georgia beach resort in 2000 to give a keynote speech for a conservative organization that also paid for the SCOTUS judge’s expenses.
Thomas reportedly sat next to former GOP House Rep. Cliff Stearns, and their conversation led Stearns to believe that Thomas was considering resigning from his position on the Supreme Court.
Stearns disclosed that Thomas informed him that "one or more justices will leave soon" unless Congress took action to increase the salaries of SCOTUS justices.
In response, Stearns promised that he would "look into a bill to raise the salaries of members of the Supreme Court."
Former GOP House Rep. Cliff Stearns disclosed that Thomas informed him that "one or more justices will leave soon" unless Congress took action to increase the salaries of SCOTUS justices.
Stearns later clarified that his concern was to ensure that Thomas felt “comfortable” and adequately compensated in his role as a conservative justice.
“His importance as a conservative was paramount,” Stearn said in an interview obtained by ProPublica. “We wanted to make sure he felt comfortable in his job and he was being paid properly.”
The outlet also noted that Thomas faced several significant expenses in the early 2000s – including the purchase of a high-end RV after borrowing $267,000 from a friend.
Thomas's warnings about the need for pay raises gained traction among conservatives and legal circles, and it ultimately led former Chief Justice William Rehnquist to "prioritize" judicial pay raises in his year-end report.
Clarence Thomas's confirmation hearing in 1991.
Thomas also reportedly advocated for a lift on the ban preventing justices from giving paid speeches.
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In the years following these events, Thomas experienced a sudden turnaround in his bleak financial situation.
In 2003, Thomas received the first installment of a $1.5 million advance for his memoir – a record-breaking amount for a SCOTUS justice at the time.
“My wife and I are doing fine," Thomas said in 2019. "We don't live extravagantly, but we are fine."
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Thomas's wife, who had previously worked as a congressional staffer, also started to earn a salary in the low six figures at the Heritage Foundation.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Thomas started to receive numerous expensive gifts throughout the 2000s – often from wealthy GOP megadonors that he had recently met.
The SCOTUS justices' salaries had not increased beyond inflation adjustments by 2019 – but Thomas appeared to have a change of heart regarding his compensation.
"Oh goodness, I think it's plenty,” he said during a public appearance that June. “My wife and I are doing fine. We don't live extravagantly, but we are fine."
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