Today, Explained

The Supreme Court’s corruption crisis

May 2, 2023

Joshua Kaplan, a reporter at ProPublica renowned for his investigations into Justice Clarence Thomas's financial dealings, sheds light on a brewing corruption crisis within the Supreme Court. He discusses the troubling relationship between Thomas and billionaire Harlan Crowe, revealing how undisclosed gifts and lavish trips compromise judicial integrity. Kaplan also examines the opaque financial practices of justices and the urgent call for ethical reforms amidst increasing scrutiny and accountability demands from lawmakers.

26:05

Episode guests

Joshua Kaplan

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

3min

The Influence of Wealth on Justice

9min

Examining Financial Conflicts in the Supreme Court

3min

Navigating Ethical Breaches in the Supreme Court

2min

Ethics in the Supreme Court: A Historical Examination

8min

In a hearing today, the Senate Judiciary Committee took on the Supreme Court’s lack of ethics standards. ProPublica’s Joshua Kaplan explains how his reporting on Justice Clarence Thomas’s history of accepting gifts from a conservative megadonor led to increased scrutiny of the court.

This episode was produced by Haleema Shah and Siona Peterous, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard and Serena Solin, engineered by Paul Robert Mounsey, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained

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