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Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has asked for an extension in filing his annual financial disclosure report amid increased scrutiny of his ethical obligations.
Thomas, as well as fellow conservative Justice Samuel Alito, asked for a delay in filing, which is allowed under federal law, a spokesman for the judiciary said.
Other justices did submit their annual financial disclosure reports listing earnings, assets, gifts and stock holdings on time. Those reports were posted online on Wednesday.
The justices have been under fire for alleged ethics lapses following a ProPublica report that detailed Justice Clarence Thomas’ acceptance of lavish trips from Harlan Crow, a billionaire Republican donor.
The reports included as usual such information as outside income the justices earned by writing books or teaching at law schools, as well as expensive gifts they sometimes receive.
In the new filings, Chief Justice John Roberts reported that he had „inadvertently omitted“ from previous reports the fact that his wife, legal recruiter Jane Roberts, had an equity holding in Macrae Inc, the firm where she works. He noted that the holding was worth between $100,000 and $250,000.
Questions were raised recently about whether Roberts might have a conflict of interest related to his wife’s work because she does business with firms that have cases before the court.
Liberal Justice Elena Kagan noted her report that between $2,500 and $5,000 she receives in income from property she owns is from a parking space she rents out in a building in Washington, a detail that was not previously known.
