When Justice Clarence Thomas accepted a lavish visit paid for by GOP mega-donor Harlan Crowe, fellow Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan turned down bagels and lox from her high school friends. Gifts, according to a new report.
The forward reported that friends who attended Hunter College High School in Manhattan with Kagan in the 1970s wanted to send her a “care package” of bagels, luxe, babka, chocolate and other inexpensive items in February 2021.
However, he later scrapped the idea after Kagan expressed concern about issues that could be raised under Supreme Court rules on gifts and disclosures, according to The Forward.
According to the media, Sarah Schulman, a former schoolmate, said, “We thought sending her a Lux was a sign of support, but she was too morose to receive a Lux.”
Another Hunter College High School alumnus, Ann Starmer, told The Forward that Kagan was thrilled with the offer, but it “was causing her more stress than it was worth.”
She said Kagan emailed her. “I have to take these ethics and reporting considerations very seriously.”
Kagan’s approach appears to be in direct contrast to Thomas’s when it comes to receiving gifts.
A series of shocking ProPublica reports put Thomas at the center of an ongoing scandal involving Texas billionaire Crowe.
According to the report, Crowe financed Thomas’s expensive travel for more than 20 years, bought his mother’s home and paid no rent, and paid $6,000 a month for private education for a child whom the judge determined were picking up Boarding school.
The Ethics in Government Act of 1978 requires all federal judges, including Supreme Court justices, to file an annual financial disclosure that includes a report on gifts received. However, he does not disclose ‘personal hospitality’ received, such as food, accommodation and hospitality.
And unlike the rest of the federal judiciary, the Supreme Court is not bound by a code of conduct.
Top Democrats urged the Supreme Court to investigate Thomas and urged the Court to adopt a code of conduct.
The Supreme Court did not immediately respond to an insider’s request for comment.