Over the past 20 years, Justice Clarence Thomas reported on a required financial disclosure form that his family had received hundreds of thousands of dollars in rental income from a company called Ginger, Ltd., Partnership.
But the Nebraska real estate company, started by his wife and her relatives in the 1980s, has been defunct since 2006.
During that year, the family real estate company was shut down and state incorporation records show that a separate company was formed. Property records show that a company with a similar name controls the land leasing business of the defunct company.
Since then, however, Thomas has continued to report inactive company earnings of between $50,000 and $100,000 annually in recent years, and the forms make no mention of a new company, Ginger Holdings, LLC.
Misrepresentation not previously reported may be dismissed as paperwork. However, a review of the records revealed that this was a series of errors and omissions made by Thomas on required annual financial disclosure forms over the past several decades. Together, they questioned how seriously Thomas took his responsibility to accurately report the details of his finances to the public.
Thomas’s history came to public attention this month when ProPublica revealed that a Texas billionaire took him on a luxurious vacation and bought the Georgia home where Thomas and his mother live from relatives. This transaction was not disclosed on the form. Thomas said that his unnamed colleagues did not have to notify him of the leave and that he always tried to follow disclosure guidelines. He has not commented publicly on the real estate deal.
In 2011, after red flags were raised by the watchdog group Common Cause, Thomas updated his financial disclosure report to include employment details for his wife, conservative activist Virginia “Ginny” Thomas. At the time, the judge said she did not understand the filing guidelines. In 2020, he was forced to amend his disclosure forms after another watchdog group discovered that he had failed to report refunds for travel to speak at two law schools.
A judicial ethics expert said the pattern is troubling.
“All presumptions supporting Thomas’s integrity and commitment to complying with the law are null and void. His assurances and promises are unbelievable. there are more? What’s the full story? Countries need to know.
Gilers said all three branches of government should investigate Thomas’s compliance with federal ethics laws. “The Supreme Court served as the glue holding the republic together during the only suspended civil war since 1790. We must respect the public even when they disagree and understand why it matters. usually have it,” he said. “However, that honor is now at serious risk and others must do something to prevent it from falling.”
Thomas did not respond to emailed questions sent through a court spokesman. His wife also did not respond to a request for comment.
Thomas’ income from the company he describes as “Ginger, Ltd., Partnership” on the financial disclosure form has increased significantly over the past decade, but the exact amount is unknown because the form requires reporting only that range. is required. He reported receiving a total of between $270,000 and $750,000 from the company since 2006, which he described as “rent”. Thomas’ salary this year as a justice is $285,000.
The company’s roots go back decades to two lakefront tracts developed by Ginny Thomas’s deceased parents in the Douglas County community just outside Omaha.