Judicial Body Declines Referral of Justices for Gift Disclosure Concerns

The U.S. Judicial Conference rejected requests to refer Justices Clarence Thomas and Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Department of Justice over issues in their financial disclosures. Both have since amended their reports. The Conference cited constitutional questions and recent updates to disclosure rules as reasons for its decision.

The U.S. Judicial Conference, the federal judiciary's top policymaking body, declined to refer U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to the Department of Justice over failure to disclose gifts received from a wealthy benefactor. This decision came after Democratic lawmakers raised concerns about Thomas's omissions in his financial disclosure reports, which have since been amended.

In a separate decision, the Conference also declined a request from a conservative group to refer liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Justice Department for similar omissions. Jackson has also modified her reports to address these issues.

The lack of referral to the Justice Department has been attributed to constitutional concerns and recent updates to the judiciary's financial disclosure requirements. The lawmakers' initial request was further mooted by direct communication with Attorney General Merrick Garland seeking a special counsel to investigate these matters.

(With inputs from agencies.)