Friends,
A recent investigative report from ProPublica shows that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito took a luxury vacation with a billionaire who later had cases before the court.
According to the report, Paul Singer, a hedge fund billionaire who has repeatedly asked the Supreme Court to rule in his favor in high-stakes business disputes, flew Alito to Alaska on a private jet -- the cost of which could have exceeded $100,000 one-way. Since then, Singer’s hedge fund has come before the court at least ten times.
In 2014, the court agreed to resolve a key issue in a decade-long battle between his hedge fund and the nation of Argentina.
Alito did not recuse himself from the case and voted in Singer’s favor, resulting in his hedge fund being paid $2.4 billion.
If this report is true, it represents an extraordinarily brazen act of impropriety -- and it should be investigated.
Look, the Supreme Court is a co-equal branch of government, but the justices are not above the law. That’s why, earlier this year, I called on Chief Justice Roberts to launch an ethics investigation into Justice Clarence Thomas based on a different ProPublica report alleging that he accepted extravagant gifts from a Republican megadonor.
The American people's trust in the Supreme Court is at an all-time low. To restore trust, I believe the court needs a clear code of ethics. If you agree, add your name to my petition today.
