Supreme Court

Report: Clarence Thomas sold real estate to donor, didn't report deal

Federal officials, including Supreme Court justices, are required to disclose the details of most real estate transactions with a value over $1,000.

Report: Clarence Thomas sold real estate to donor, didn't report deal
J. Scott Applewhite / AP
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Conservative mega-donor Harlan Crow purchased three properties belonging to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his family, in a transaction worth more than $100,000 that Thomas never reported, according to the nonprofit investigative journalism organization ProPublica.

Justice Clarence Thomas to account for 2014 real estate deal
Justice Clarence Thomas to account for 2014 real estate deal
UPDATE

Justice Clarence Thomas to account for 2014 real estate deal

This comes after talks that Republican mega donor Harlan Crow gifted him lavish trips and cruises. She's also the purchaser in the real estate deal.

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The 2014 real estate deal shines a new light on Thomas' decades old relationship with Crow, a real estate magnate and longtime financier for conservative causes. That relationship and the material benefits received by Thomas have fueled calls for an official ethics investigation.

ProPublica previously revealed that Thomas and his wife Ginni were gifted with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of annual vacations and trips by Crow for decades — including international cruises on his mega-yacht, private jet flights and stays at Crow's invitation-only resort in the Adirondacks. But the 2014 real estate deal is the first public evidence of a direct financial transaction between the pair.

Democratic senators urge chief justice to probe Thomas trips
Democratic senators urge chief justice to probe Thomas trips

Democratic senators urge chief justice to probe Thomas trips

Lawmakers are calling for Chief Justice John Roberts to investigate Clarence Thomas after it was revealed that he took undisclosed luxury trips.

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Citing state tax documents and property deeds, ProPublica reported that one of Crow's companies paid $133,363 for the home in Savannah, Georgia, where Thomas' mother was living, along with two nearby vacant lots that belonged to Thomas' family members. Thomas' mother remained living in the home, which soon underwent tens of thousands of dollars in renovations.

Federal officials, including Supreme Court justices, are required to disclose the details of most real estate transactions with a value of over $1,000. Thomas would not be required to report the purchase if the property was his or his spouse's primary personal residence, but this stipulation does not apply to this purchase, which Thomas did not report.

Both Thomas and Crow have released statements downplaying the significance of the gifts, with Thomas maintaining that he was not required to disclose the trips. Crow responded to the latest disclosure with a statement to ProPublica saying that he approached Thomas about the purchase with an eye on honoring his legacy.

"My intention is to one day create a public museum at the Thomas home dedicated to telling the story of our nation's second black Supreme Court Justice," the statement said. "Justice Thomas's story represents the best of America."

Thomas' office did not respond to an Associated Press request for comment.