Tim Parlatore, a former lawyer for former President Donald Trump, said Friday that he believes Supreme Court justices receiving lavish gifts and vacations “tarnishes the image of impartiality” and called on Congress to act.
Parlatore joined CNN’s Abby Phillips and The Nation’s Ellie Meistal to discuss the revelations in the Supreme Court’s financial disclosure report, released earlier this week.
“I’ve represented several senior executive branch officials in investigations by the Office of Government Ethics,” Parlatore said in an interview. Mediaite highlights“Military officers can only accept gifts up to $20. NYPD officers get paperwork filled out for free coffee.”
“As you know, there is a rule limiting gifts to $50 for federal judges, but the Supreme Court is a specific exception,” he added.
The conversation revolved around one justice in particular: Justice Clarence Thomas.
In his latest financial filing, Thomas amended his 2019 report to include two trips paid for by billionaire Harlan Crow that were made public after a ProPublica investigation cast doubt on his ability to remain impartial.
According to data released Thursday by the watchdog group Fix the Court, Supreme Court justices have received nearly $5 million in gifts since 2004, including $4 million to Justice Thomas.
The list of gifts was released after Democrats called on Justice Samuel Alito to recuse himself from ongoing Jan. 6 and Trump-related cases following reports that a “Stop the Steal” flag had been flown outside his home after the Capitol storming. Justice Alito denied the request to recuse himself.
It was also revealed on Friday that Beyoncé gave Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson four free concert tickets last year.
Both recent reports have put the spotlight on the Supreme Court and whether there is partisan influence in the cases it hears.
When the news first broke, lawmakers stepped up efforts to overhaul the Supreme Court’s ethics rules. The court issued new guidance late last year, but it did little to satisfy Democrats.
In an interview Friday, Parlatore said it was “suggestive of wrongdoing” for a judge to “accept these large gifts.”
“In my opinion, this diminishes the image of fairness,” he said.
Parlatore also appeared to echo Democrats’ concerns, urging Congress to act and “try to put in place some reasonable regulations.”
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