Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was foolish to complain early in his tenure that he was not being paid enough to afford the lifestyle he and his wife, Ginny, desired, threatening that he might quit. It got him the desired result in the short term, in the form of an avalanche of luxury vacations, loans, and lavish items. However, the largesse he received from far-right donors could be considered supplemental income instead of gifts. As a result, Thomas could face tax fraud charges, at least in a world where powerful people were held to account.
From The Lever:
According to experts, if these benefits were given to Thomas as a way to buttress his regular pay and keep him on the court, they could be considered a taxable transaction rather than a gift. By refusing to publicly disclose such transactions, Thomas made it impossible for watchdog groups to alert tax enforcement officials about the potential issue in real time.
"If there are in fact people saying more or less, 'We're offering these goodies to the justice so that he will stay in his role'… it sounds like it would be taxable income for him," said Brian Galle, a law professor at the Georgetown University Law Center who focuses on taxation.
