Watchdog group files FOIA request for details of Justice Thomas’ jet and yacht travel

Watchdog group files FOIA request for details of Justice Thomas’ jet and yacht travel
Urges American Bar Association to join in calls for ethical accountability at high court

Common Cause moved on two new fronts Thursday to address ethics questions surrounding the U.S. Supreme Court:

In a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the U.S. Marshals Service, the non partisan government watchdog group formally asked for copies of government records relating to travel by Justice Clarence Thomas. The request is aimed at determining whether Justice Thomas traveled on a plane owned by developer and political activist Harlan Crow on seven occasions over the past four years, and if so, whether those trips were properly disclosed. The New York Times has raised questions about three of the trips, while a Common Cause review of flight records found four additional trips made by Crow’s jet that followed a similar pattern of travel from Dallas to Washington and on to Savannah, Ga., Thomas’ hometown. Federal law requires all federal officials to disclose who pays for their travel.

In a letter to the president of the American Bar Association, Common Cause urged the nation’s largest group of lawyers to join in efforts to persuade the Court to publicly embrace the code of conduct that all other federal judges must follow and to enforce tough ethical standards on its members.

“Americans are concerned, and rightfully so, over mounting evidence that our highest court is operating outside the ethical standards that apply to other federal judges,” said Common Cause President Bob Edgar. “We are seeking records from the Marshals Service, which typically provides security for justices traveling outside Washington, to clarify whether Justice Thomas has violated federal ethics laws. We hope to engage the legal community in a larger effort to bring ethical accountability to the full court.”

the rest:
http://www.commoncause.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=4773613&ct=10895993

keep hounding this embarrassment. Every day, something new.........

:popcorn: