For years, conservative billionaires have treated Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas to opulent vacations and trips on their private jets. If these were anything other than disinterested gifts, then they’re taxable — and Thomas owes the IRS a huge bill.
I don’t know. Tax authorities can be relentless when someone get caught committing shameless tax fraud.
There might not be enforceable penalty for ethics violation at the supreme court. But there definitely are penalties for tax fraud. Obligatory Al Capone reference.
Who enforces them though? The Supreme Court has shown that it doesn’t believe in conflicts of interest or recusing from cases, and all he needs to do is contest the rulings until they land on his desk.
That’s a defeatist attitude. Challenging this up to the supreme court would draw even more attention to the case, which Thomas may not want. Even if he did, there’s no telling what the court would decide. To my knowledge he hasn’t been charged yet, that would be a good first step.