I am working on taxes today, but while I finally get around to that tedious task, you can chew on this.
đ§ââď¸
Dear Clarence Thomas,
Tick tock.
Brought to us by ProPublica. Â (Again.)
đ§ââď¸
NEW: Clarence Thomas Didnât Disclose Harlan Crow Real Estate Deal.
âThe justiceâs failure to report the transaction suggests âThomas was hiding a financial relationship with Crow,â said Kathleen Clark, a legal ethics expert.â https://t.co/NMOm9uL8gK
— Katie S. (đ-check) Phang (@KatiePhang) April 13, 2023
âCrow still owns Thomasâ motherâs home, which the now-94-year-old continued to live in through at least 2020, according to public records and social media. Two neighbors told ProPublica she still lives there. Crow did not respond to questions about whether he has charged herâŚ
— Jen Taub (@jentaub) April 13, 2023
Open thread.
Baud
Who among us hasn’t entered into a secret real estate transaction with our wealth benefector?
waspuppet
It doesn’t suggest Thomas had a financial relationship with Crow; it proves it.
Eunicecycle
I understand real estate purchasing is the transaction of choice with money launderers.
Citizen Alan
I read about this crap and recall how Abe Fortas was forced to resign over, IIRC, a dubious $20,000 speaking engagement, and I just want to scream. This country would be a different place today if Fortas had stayed on the court, thereby depriving Nixon of his fourth appointment (most likely fucking Rehnquist!)
Dangerman
Even with “Live Boy or Dead Girl”, no chance of that Motherfucker getting impeached.
Thurgood Marshall to Thomas. Kinda like Porterhouse Steak to SOS.
How sad.
Old School
I look forward to taking the kids to ThomasLand.
Betty Cracker
Tampa Bay Rays extend season opening win streak to 13! Woohoo!
PS: Fuck Clarence Thomas and Harlan Crow!
Roger Moore
@Baud:
Unfortunately, Soros has never helped me out that way.
Baud
@Betty Cracker: Wow. History being made. I think the record is 15 in a row to open the season
ETA: The baseball gods smile on those who stand up to DeSantis.
bbleh
Very good; this will be an excellent test case for the doctrine of Republican So Fk You. Â I expect an outcome fully in accordance with it.
Dagaetch
I am disappointed that ProPublica apparently didn’t ask the Justice Department for comment, because I really (don’t) want to hear how they will weasel out of investigating Thomas for this illegal act.
Buckethead
@waspuppet: I think your understanding of our media landscape may be a bit outdated. These days, the strongest possible statement you can make about someone doing something is that it “raises questions” or “suggests” something. Questions of course don’t have answers, but you can always raise more questions. Works great if you’re crooked like Clarence.
Brachiator
What a load of hogwash.
The only good thing is that Thomas’ mother apparently still lives in the house. I DO wonder, though, about the $36,000 in improvements.
Still, all this should have been reported.
Old School
@Baud:
They tied the record of 13 today – matching the 1982 Braves and 1987 Brewers.
Baud
@Brachiator: Why is that a good thing?
trollhattan
Lemme guess: it was a storage facility just off a state highway where he and Ginny once camped in their RV, to be with “their people.”
Clarence Thomas–man of the people, fucker of chickens.
WaterGirl
@Betty Cracker: Â This is why we love Balloon Juice!
CaseyL
Crow seems to be Thomas’ long-time
companionSugar Daddy.(These revelations are gobsmacking. I hope ProPublica goes after Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barnett next.)
Baud
@Old School: Thanks. Neither of which won the Word Series, interestingly.
Dan B
@Old School: Thomas got a third of the $133,000 sale price of the home. Any real estate action over $1,000 must be reported.
Oooopsie!
/s
in case you wondered.
Butch
I guess the point is obvious but I worked as a contractor for a long time and our federal clients wouldn’t let us so much as buy them a cup of coffee because they were so worried about conflict of interest and appearance of bias.
geg6
@Baud:Â â
I’m not understanding that either. Ginny and Clarence should be taking care of the old girl. Ginny needs something to keep her off the dark net.
JoyceH
@Brachiator: I wonder if Crow is charging Mom rent. My guess is no – this is straight up ongoing bribery and using the elderly mother is particularly creepy. âHow you going to vote on this, Clarence? Remember that I own your momâs houseâŚâ
TriassicSands
Oh, no. Terrible news. Clarence Thomas’ mother is still alive at 94. Nothing against his mother, but I sure hope that doesn’t mean Clarence will still be around when he’s 94. Obviously, it won’t matter if he’s completely senile, since the difference between senile and crazy might not be that significant.
That said, I don’t want Thomas to die. I want him to be sent to prison where I would hope he would live to be 130.
I never used to think things like that. It’s terrible. For example, I despised George W. Bush, but I didn’t wake up every day hoping to read that he had died. (I’d have been satisfied if he’d been clearing brush full time back on the ranch or painting pictures of his feet in the bathtub.) Then, along came Donald Trump..
It’s amazing what the fascist takeover of a political party can do.
BlueGuitarist
@Dan B:
âThomas valued his stake in these properties at “$15,000 or less.” Crow paid $133,363 for them.â
Baud
@geg6: I can’t remember if I read it here or somewhere else, but Thomas has reported his assets at some insanely low amount for someone who has been a Supreme Court justice for over 30 years. I think some assets are exempt from reporting, like his house, but still…. Definitely something fishy going on with him.
LeftCoastYankee
Looking forward to the “Harlan Crowe bought a beer from Brett Kavanagh” story wherein the beer price equaled Kavanagh’s gambling debts.
trollhattan
Oklahoma says “Hold my beer.”
Technically, suppose they’re saying “Unhand my not-really-beer, because ghey.” [As to “we don’t drink Bud Light in Oklahoma” you sure as fuck do, you tasteless haploid halfwits.]
WaterGirl
@CaseyL: Dare I hope that we may yet learn about that photo of two gentlemen walking, just before one of the justices retired?
Gravenstone
@Baud: Some of us are used to be on the other side of the ledger. The Cubs lost their first 14 in ’97…
terraformer
seems several articles I’ve read about this say some version of “Thomas may have broken the law…”
FFS, he was required to disclose – he didn’t disclose the sale nor did he disclose who bought the properties.
I mean, things like “required” usually mean a law or a regulation. Hard to see any wiggle room here. But wiggle big press and media will, because we just can’t have a SCOTUS Justice who’s a liar, more damaging than just letting it go amirite
BlueGuitarist
Have folks here been talking about rain of biblical proportions in Ft. Lauderdale?
https://abcnews.go.com/US/torrential-rain-floods-fort-lauderdale-strands-residents/story?id=98550521
meanwhile deSadeness is on a campaign/book tour in Ohio
Mike in Pasadena
When there’s no penalty for failure to disclose, then the disclosure requirement is toothless, meaningless. The Republican House won’t even hold impeachment hearings. He gets off without any consequence for failing to disclose. A nothingburger for sure. Please tell me what I’ve missed.
Jeffro
Kind of blows the whole ‘friends’ thing out of the water, doesn’t it?
“shut up libs Harlan is my FRIEND ok he just happens to spend millions on my and Ginni’s travel plus owns my mom’s house and renovated it and also properties around her house ok because he’s my FRIEND what part of FRIEND don’t you understand?!?”
Sure thing, Clarence. Â Lots of folks’ FRIENDS do stuff like this.
Jeffro
also: y’all saw that crazy “Conservative and Definitely NOT GAY light beer” ad that’s going around right?
“ULTRA RIGHT” beer.
A six-pack is available for the low low price of $19.99. Â It’s grifters, all the way down!
(I thought it was a preview of this coming weekend’s SNL, I swear.)
Anonymous At Work
@BlueGuitarist: In that area. The water retention system near my place had a good 3 inches (out of 4 feet) left this morning. Hasn’t drained any and it’s still raining a bit. Know people with internet and power issues and flooded out cars (as if buying a new/used car right now wasn’t insane-to-requiring-blood-sacrifice!) and all sorts of issues.
Good news is that the rain is keeping the pollen count down.
Mike in Pasadena
@CaseyL: Yes, we still don’t know where Mr. Justice I like beer got his cash infusion, do we?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Calling it now: “Justice and Mrs Thomas and their dear friend were merely seeking to provide for an elderly lady and their brother’s widow and orphans. Why do you hate elderly ladies, widows and orphans?”
I was thinking about the long magazine piece on Thomas, I think Jane Mayer wrote it (?), the one that reported that he has a garage-sale price sticker for “10 cents” on his Yale law school diploma, and relevant here, that he hates the job and only stays on the Court because he knows how much pleasure his enemies would take in his retirement. That article is probably almost old enough to buy beer now.
Captain C
@Dangerman:
FTFY
Anonymous At Work
Warning shot for tonight about the top secret information leaks: How the FRAK did a 21-year old get a hold of TSCI stuff in the first place, much less how did they not screen him better? The guy’s got like 3 brain cells, has some shady online activities (but what I am reading says he was showing off), and reads like he takes coffee orders for junior officers.
Brachiator
@Baud:
I don’t have a problem with Thomas taking care of his mother. It might be better for her that she can continue to live at home if it is a place where she is comfortable.
mvr
@Brachiator: Actually her continuing to live there only raises more questions. Like is she paying rent? And is the rent commensurate with the rents in the area? Not that I’m in favor of kicking old ladies out of family homes, just that these details would make clear that Crow is not getting any (direct) financial profit out of the deal. He must be getting something else out of it.
Baud
@Brachiator: But he’s not taking care of her. Crow owns the home. Crow is taking care of her, at least as landlord.
Frankensteinbeck
@Mike in Pasadena:
IANAL, and laws are dense documents where things are easily missed, but I looked at the law and I donât see a penalty. Â I found a $5000 max penalty for one specific type of non reporting.
Did I miss something, anybody?
Mike in Pasadena
Another question: If Thomas is still on the bench when Democrats take the House back, will the new majority bother to impeach Thomas? Or will they all have convenient amnesia?
Brachiator
@Jeffro:
I almost can’t believe the hysteria from right wing idiots over beer. Almost.
WaterGirl
@Mike in Pasadena: With news like this, Roberts can’t keep saying no to SC ethics requirements. Sen. Whitehouse isn’t gonna let this go, either.
C Stars
Are you fucking kidding me?!
Thomas has to go…
jonas
@Anonymous At Work: I’m pretty sure the answer is going to be that people who work in military intelligence, even noobs, often have high-level clearances and access to all kinds of classified material on a daily basis and the military basically trusts that these people will take their training and obligations seriously and not compromise anything. In this case, they chose poorly. Right about now, airman Teixeira is probably recalling the part of the security training where they told him about the serious penalties that come with mishandling classified material. And the even more serious penalties, including long prison times, that come with intentionally disclosing said material to civilians not authorized to see it. He’s gonna be in a world of shit.
Matt McIrvin
@trollhattan: I suppose they don’t smoke marijuana in Muskogee or get their kicks on LSD, either.
Old School
@Jeffro:
Colbert did Shaft Beer already.
Baud
@trollhattan: The comments on that tweet say it’s an old video.
Matt McIrvin
@Old School: the Island of SCOTOR
Brachiator
@Baud:
The deal should have been reported. If there is any improper benefit obtained by Crow, this should be investigated and revealed.
Not interested in debating Thomas’ care of his mother.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
@Butch: I was on the federal guy in that relationship and youâre damned Right we wouldnât accept coffee, let alone pizza or sandwiches provided by a contractor. If they had a paid cafeteria, weâd use that.
BlueGuitarist
@Anonymous At Work:
impressively accentuating the positive!
Good luck!
Mike S
Nothing will happen. He will hang on until a republican can replace him.
Old School
@Matt McIrvin:
Is that where Long Dong Silver has his treasure?
WaterGirl
@jonas:
As he should be.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
Say, wasn’t Trump in real estate?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Mike in Pasadena: depends on how big a majority and whether this story penetrates the hard shell of passive cynicism and apathy the majority of the public seems to have grown in the last few years.
When did the Normies stop caring? post-Iraq? the financial crisis?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
If true, seems like he missed a chance to set up some kind of foundation and make it all some kind of deduction? Then again, $150K is a deck on the Queen Mary to this guy
A quick google tells me a USSC’s salary in 2014 was $244K, and I gather Ginni’s been plugged into the wingnut welfare network for years, so it’s not like they couldn’t have taken care of his mother themselves.
Mike in Pasadena
@WaterGirl: I won’t hold my breath. Roberts is as corrupt as Thomas, maybe more so.
Butch
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: Later on I thought about adding a parenthetical (I’m not exaggerating) to my post. It was innocent on my part but I actually had a federal guy (EPA employee) read me the riot act because I handed him a cup of coffee.
UncleEbeneezer
Any possibility of House oversight is obviously DOA, but does anyone know what (if anything) the Senate could do to investigate, hold hearings etc.?
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@Butch: Nice illustration of the difference between government professionals and political appointees.
Betty Cracker
@BlueGuitarist: Earlier today I talked to a friend who lives in Ft. Lauderdale. She said they got more than 20 inches of rain in 24 hours, which is absolutely insane, and there were dead cars everywhere.
Steeplejack
@Baud:
Yes, Oklahoma says, “Watch this Mexican video from February of beer being destroyed that was ‘decommissioned’ in the pandemic.” Libtards pwned!
WaterGirl
@Mike in Pasadena: I agree that Roberts is totally corrupt.
But Sen. Whitehouse has been pushing hard on this, and there is a already a group looking at rules for the Supreme Court.
I think Whitehouse is gonna be on this like white on rice, and Roberts has considerably less ground to stand on today than he did 3 weeks ago.
geg6
@Brachiator:Â â
Than he should be paying for it himself, not his sugar daddy. Just like I did with my mom.
WaterGirl
@UncleEbeneezer: Senate Judiciary with Whitehouse has already been looking into the lack of ethics on the current Supreme Court, even before any of the news from the last few days. Â (weeks?)
You can be damn sure that there will be hearings.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I’m guessing Ginni and Clarence couldn’t have done this, financially
so…. add another $100K to the museum project
@UncleEbeneezer: Durbin said the other day that they would be starting inquiries in a matter of days.
WaterGirl
Speaking of corruption in office…
WaterGirl
BlueGuitarist
@Betty Cracker:
wow!
Princess
I love how proPublica released the big story first, lured him into a denial, then slammed him with the gigantic story. I read that even Republicans think this stinks. Iâm sure theyâd still take him over any Dem but his name will forever be mud.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@WaterGirl: Corruption or neglect? Can neglect be considered corrupt when neglect is considered the sole legitimate role of the government among the people who elected you
Never mind; corruption, corruption for the whole Republican party; obviously.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
My sister told me earlier she saw that on the news, and I thought, “that can’t be right, that had to be over several days”
Almost Retired
@TriassicSands: Although Clarence’s mother is 94, his younger brother died of a heart attack at age 50. Just an observation…nothing more….
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Almost Retired: I worry about his health, him being a portly 75 YO with a high stress job whose life is about to get more stressful
I do so worry….
Brachiator
@mvr:
If the mother is not paying a fair market value rent, that might be a problem for Crow.
It would be ironic if a bad structuring of what should have been a relatively simple property sale should have a huge impact on Justice Thomas and Crow.
UncleEbeneezer
@Almost Retired: Crossing my fingers for a big observation soon…
Renie
This tweet brings you to audio that was leaked from the TN state house leadership. These representatives are furious about the return of the TN3.
https://twitter.com/Kanew/status/1646547247117611008
Steeplejack
@Betty Cracker:
From last night:
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I’m gonna guess she does not pay rent
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
Doubt this is true. They could be counted if someone put in the effort.
But hope their drivers are OK.
Baud
@WaterGirl:
God I hope he wins the nomination and then loses Florida.
Have some pride, Sunshiners!
Anyway
High five, WG!
Glad I’m not the only jackal just starting on my taxes…
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@Anyway: I haven’t started mine either, though they’re simple. I can usually finish in about an hour.
Goes to show I’m not desperate for money this year. Thank you, Brandon.
Dangerman
If by world of shit, you mean Lompoc or Leavenworth, you are exactly right.
Old School
@Renie:
“The left wants Tennessee so bad, because if they get us, the southeast falls and it’s game over for the republic.”
Baud
@WaterGirl:
Amateur. He should be in Cancun.
lowtechcyclist
@Gravenstone:
Got that beat, I was an O’s fan until the Expos finally came to DC and became the Nats. The O’s started off the 1988 season 0-21. Ouch.
Soprano2
@Mike S: Unless he dies unexpectedly, like Scalia did.
Brachiator
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
It’s like Florida is getting their version of the recent California rain storms.
A very wet Spring Break.
Soprano2
@Betty Cracker: Ođ˛ đą đ˛ đą
lowtechcyclist
@Mike in Pasadena:
No we don’t, and I’ll be damned if I know why the Dems have never had hearings about that. The 2019-2020 House would have been a good time and place for it, since they couldn’t pass legislation.
WaterGirl
@Princess: The “big story” being vacations and such?
And “gigantic story” being this one?
WaterGirl
@The Kropenhagen Interpretation: Well, since FL has a law that you can’t be GOV while running for office, so DeSantis is going around the state, clearly campaigning, just not calling it that.
And then, yes, neglecting his state while he is pretending to not be campaigning.
Fair Economist
@Mike in Pasadena:
Impeaching Thomas will have the same effect as impeaching Trump: no benefit other than the show. Perhaps worthwhile; not a high priority.
Ruckus
@WaterGirl:
DeSantis is in Ohio on a book tour.
Trying to find one with small enough words so that he can read it?
Annie
@Ceci n est pas mon nym:
Yep. I work for the State of California. I can’t accept any gifts from anyone dealing with my agency. Somebody I had helped with a very complicated mess brought me a bouquet of flowers once. Had to turn it down.
Fair Economist
@Steeplejack: 2 FEET of rain in Ft. Lauderdale, and just thunderstorms, not even a tropical system. Climate change is here in spades.
WaterGirl
@Baud: That can’t happen. Â Why? Â Because the FL legislature is in the process of changing the law specifically so DeSantis can run for President while being FL gov.
The corruption is breathtaking
edit: to say a bit more, he is either waiting to announce so that: 1) they have time to change the law before he announces, or 2) he’s not gonna he’s gonna be campaigning for a long time before he announces, and then not announce if things aren’t going well for him.
God, I hate these people.
Baud
@WaterGirl:
What can’t happen?
rikyrah
@BlueGuitarist:
They asked if DeathSantis had gotten in touch. Mayor says nopeđ
WaterGirl
@Baud:
see more details at #104.
Baud
@WaterGirl:
Well, I think it’s unlikely that he loses Florida, but it’s theoretically possible.
Mike in Pasadena
@WaterGirl: Sorry for my first response being so flip. Seriously, let’s suppose Roberts proposes and implements ethics rules. If they do not include severe penalties, which they likely won’t, how will that situation be different from where we find ourselves now.
WaterGirl
@Baud: Then maybe I am confused by what you mean by “loses” Florida.
Did you mean “loses Florida” in the General election for president?
Bill Arnold
@Buckethead:
If by “someone” you mean a Republican, this is true. If it were a Democrat, facts such as those disclosed about Justice Thomas by ProPublica would suggest that they were a pedophile with a side business of sex trafficking children to certain Saudi princes, for Satan. With zero evidence, but 70 percent of Republicans would believe it, and more than a few would be practicing with their rifles and seriously contemplating taking direct action. For “Jesus”, though actually for Satan.
Baud
@WaterGirl:
Yes.
KenK
@JoyceH: this may be a hostage situationâŚ
Kathleen
@Baud: At first they came for our wealth benefactors and I did nothing….
WaterGirl
@Mike in Pasadena: Here’s the point I have been trying to make.
Sen. Whitehouse has really been pushing ethics rules for the Supreme Court. Â (Hereafter referred to as SC.)
They are already looking at trying to impose external rules.
Roberts keeps saying, “no, we’ll handle this internally.”
But the news TWICE this week absolutely shows that they re not fucking handling anything internally related to ethics, unless you include ignoring ethics violations. :-)
So the tide is turning on Roberts, and I don’t think his “well handle it internally” is gonna fly anymore.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@KenK: Even if it didn’t start as a hostage situation, the potential can manifest with few substantive changes.
Kathleen
@Betty Cracker: I’m so jealous. They’re coming to Cincy soon. That should be interesting.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Kathleen: Ha!
Princess
@WaterGirl: thatâs right.
PST
Back in November the NYT broke a story about some rich anti-abortion zealots who undertook in a coordinated fashion to cultivate conservative Justices, especially Alito:
Even before the house purchase came to light — rendering ridiculous the story that the Crows and the Thomases are just friends who exchange visits — this sounded like an organized influence operation like Schenck ran, only much, much, much more corrupt with much, much wealthier influencers. I was dazzled at first by the pure luxury of global junkets on private jets to yachts and islands where the Succession set frolic. But in retrospect, I am more struck by the descriptions and photographs of Thomas hanging out in these surroundings with Crow’s other billionaire friends. I can almost imagine Crow cultivating the Thomas connection so as to swap access to his pals in return for other, unnamed favors (nothing so crass as cash).
Roger Moore
@Mike in Pasadena:
I know Roberts is at least as much of a political actor as Thomas is, but I haven’t seen any evidence that he’s benefiting personally. That’s the thing that’s really upsetting about this to me personally. Thomas has been a nakedly political actor for his whole term on the Court, but we can’t do anything about that. It’s only because there’s evidence he gained some kind of pecuniary benefit that we’re even talking about it. It’s perfectly legal for a Supreme Court justice to rule based purely on partisan political beliefs and ignore the law; it’s only illegal to get a tangible personal benefit.
Kathleen
@BlueGuitarist: Was that where the sewer overflowed and poop was floating in the streets or was that Miami Beach? (Hearing “There’s pooping in the streets” to the tune of “Dancin’ in the Streets” “They’re poopin’ in Miami. Ft Lauderdale. Up in Sarasota…All we need is Mucelix. Sweet Mucelix. There’ll be Mucelix everywhere.” Stopping here.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
And as far as realistic enforcement mechanisms we have…???????
Bill Arnold
@Anonymous At Work:
Watching how this unfolds in the press with great interest.
Reality Winner was sentenced to 5 years for leaking classified information that disrupted D.J. Trump’s narrative about Russia not targeting the US in the 2016 election. (That’s relevant because one can reasonably suggest that decisions about Reality Winner’s case/sentence were influenced by D.J. Trump.)
This current leaker did actual damage; Ukraine in particular will probably suffer many lives lost due to these leaks (if the information leaked about e.g. air defenses was accurate). IMO he needs to be made an example of, to the extent possible in the current system, to discourage people contemplating leaking in the future, including the near future.
Kathleen
@Ruckus: A book without periods.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@Kathleen: I see what you did there.
Also, too, no pronouns.
Roger Moore
@Ruckus:Â â
One with the kind of pictures he doesn’t want people in Florida to be able to see.
Ohio Mom
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Tearing down the house next door is just thinking ahead. The Clarence Thomas Museum is going to need a parking lot. /s
@Almost Retired: Thomasâs brother may not have been able to afford good health care.
Which brings me to this memory, which I just googled to refresh and confirm. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-07-24-9103220246-story.html (Will I ever learn how to embed a link, probably not).
When Thomas was being considered for the Court he told the story of his sister, the welfare queen, who was raising children also destined to be dependent on welfare.
It turned out that his sister worked low wage jobs her entire life. She did take off work for a few years, to take care of an elderly aunt whoâd had a stroke. During that time, she did collect welfare but she went back to work. The article, which was written in 1991, notes that the children old enough to work also had jobs.
How come Thomas did not arrange for Crow to help his siblings as well? Sibling rivalry?
Kirk
@PST:
FTFY
Jeffro
@Brachiator: TWENTY BUCKS a six-pack!
By all means, Republicans…please proceed.
Jackie
@Ruckus: Trying to find one that isnât banned.
karen marie
@mvr:  What is Crow getting out of it? He literally OWNS a Supreme Court Justice.
His friends who brag they own a senator? Senators come and go. SCJs last a lifetime.
geg6
@Mike in Pasadena:
If we win the House and keep the Senate, they could add SCOTUS to the same ethics requirements they have for all the rest of the federal bench. Â That would change a lot.
H-Bob
@Citizen Alan: Johnson had appointed Fortas to be Chief Justice, so we wouldn’t have gotten Warren Burger as CJ and likely someone other than Rehnquist to fill Fortas’s Associate Justice position.
geg6
@Kathleen:
đ¤Łđ¤Łđ¤Ł
Youâre killing me.
TerryC
@Anyway: We have a great accountant, an S Corp, two LLCs, and we are ALWAYS a year or two behind in returns because of the accountant’s good work,
mrmoshpotato
@Betty Cracker:
Devilish.
cain
@Ohio Mom:Â â
Because he is an asshole. QED
cmorenc
Thomas seems to think “dearest friend” grants him an exemption from disclosure requirements, no matter how large the gift$$$ or transaction$$$ were. For a purported “strict constructionist” of laws and constitutional provisions, this is an um….remarkable departure from form. Couldn’t be becau$e there wa$ any corrupt dealing$$ in the$e tran$actions, could it, becau$e Thoma$’$ i$ a man of highe$t integrity, right?
Betsy
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: The normal process for purhcasing real estate to make a historic site out of some famous person’s childhood home or what-have-you, when that famous person is still alive and holding a public-trust office, and that famous person still owns the asset in question, would be:
And if Mom gets to live there, again, someone objective is paid by a third party to make an appraisal of what a normal rent would be, and Mom or the public figure pays the rent, and it’s all subject to disclosure.
Also, I note that attorneys are supposed to consult with other attorneys. and the Bar ethics committee in the state where they are licensed, when they don’t know the answer to an ethics question that affects their actions. And every attorney knows this. CT knows this damn well, too.
TriassicSands
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Do I detect a hint of sarcasm?
Soprano2
@Kathleen: I guarantee you the sewers are full anywhere they had 20″ of rain in 24 hours! All that water has sewage in it. I shudder to think how long they’ll be full of water. No flushing for them!
KCSteve
I’m guessing Merrick is going to have ponder on this one for a few years before he can appoint a special prosecutor to do his job.
WaterGirl
@KCSteve: Â What you wrote is laughable.
frosty
@Soprano2:Â â
No, they’re storm drains, not sewers. I really doubt that Fort Lauderdale has combined sewers, which are generally found in older northeastern cities. And which have been undergoing conversion and separation for a couple of decades.
That being said, urban stormwater is pretty nasty stuff from everything that washes off. Pick up after your dog!!!
JML
@H-Bob: Harry Blackmun was the justice appointed with Burger by Nixon. Much like John Paul Stevens and David Souter, he drifted increasingly leftwards during his time on the bench, which is why the federalist society gets to vet any nomination the GOP makes to ensure that only hardened right-wing lunatics make it through now.
That said, if LBJ had been less set on Fortas as Chief, we could have dodged Burger (a bigot and legal mediocrity) completely. Blackmun might have never made it to the bench, which would have been a loss.
Paul in KY
@BlueGuitarist: Wow! 26″ in less than 24 hours. Set a new record for down there. I was in Miami for 3 years & I’ve seen rain so thick you could cut it with a knife. To set a new record…
Paul in KY
@Almost Retired: The fucker has lived longer than I thought he would.