Alito’s tardy financial disclosure report reveals $900 concert tickets from German socialite: report
09 September 2024
US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's annual financial disclosure report, "filed late after requesting an extension" last week, listed $900 concert tickets gifted to him by German Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis, The Guardian reports.
Per the report, Alito and colleague Justice Brett Kavanaugh met with von Thurn und Taxis — who's "known for her unabashed conservative views and ties to rightwing activists," as well as her connection to Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon — during her visit to the Supreme Court in 2019.
Alito's filing comes a year after ProPublica published a bombshell report revealing that Justice Clarence Thomas has received "luxury vacations" from billionaire Harlan Crow "for over 20 years."
READ MORE: 'Pass a code of ethics now': Database reveals 'staggering' $6.6 million in gifts to SCOTUS justices
The Guardian notes that Alito, too, allegedly "accepted a private jet free travel gift for a luxury salmon fishing trip from a conservative billionaire who had cases pending before the" high court.
Following these reports, President Joe Biden vowed to make changes to the court's ethics code before leaving office next year.
In July, the president announced that he's "calling for a binding code of conduct for the Supreme Court," as "the Court's current voluntary ethics code is weak and self-enforced."
The reform would require the justices to promptly disclose gifts.
READ MORE: Ethics complaint accuses Justice Alito of scheme to thwart congress
The Guardian's full report is available here (subscription required).