Current Events > In 2001, A Supreme Court Justice said it 'is not worth what they pay'

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https://www.businessinsider.com/clarence-thomas-supreme-court-is-not-worth-doing-for-pay-2023-5

Justice Clarence Thomas who has accepted lavish vacations and other financial benefits from GOP megadonor Harlan Crow for years said in a speech in 2001 that serving on the Supreme Court wasn't worth it for what it paid.
"The job is not worth doing for what they pay," Thomas said during a speech in 2001, The New York Post reported at the time. "The job is not worth doing for the grief. But it is worth doing for the principle."
Thomas was speaking to the Bar Association in Savannah, Georgia, according to the Post. In the speech, which was resurfaced this week by The Nation writer Jeet Heer, Thomas discussed his efforts to gain custody of his then-10-year-old grandnephew. The Post reported Thomas cried during the speech and thanked his lawyer who worked on the custody battle.
In 2001, the salary for an associate Supreme Court justice was $178,300, while the chief justice made $186,300. As of 2023, the salary for an associate justice is $285,400, while the chief justice makes $298,500.
ProPublica reported this week that Thomas in 2008 sent his grandnephew, the one referred to in the speech, to Hidden Lake Academy, a residential program in Georgia, and that Crow covered the $6,000 per month bill. The outlet previously reported that Crow had paid for Thomas and his wife, Ginni Thomas, to take extravagant vacations, and that Thomas has sold his childhood home to Crow but did not disclose the sale.
A group of 15 Democratic lawmakers now wants to withhold $10 million from Supreme Court funding until the court adopts a code of ethics, The Hill reported.

But it is worth doing 'for the principle' lmao

Stfu. If you had any principles you wouldn't have accepted all those donations over the years. If you had any principles you'd retire now. You just want the power.

If there's ever been a clear justification to have term limits for the SCOTUS, this is it.

The supreme court should be desolved it makes no sense to have a high court that has no oversight whatsoever, has the ability to block any attempt at it and is a life time appointment. Term limits wouldn't help either it'd just mean more people have a shot basically becoming god tier. Honestly, we're at the point one of these people could kill someone, rape someone, flat out call for violence and they'd still be able to sit up there passing judgement on the rest of us for they are the divine. Disgusting

tremain07 posted...

it makes no sense to have a high court that has no oversight whatsoever

It has oversight, it's just that Congress is complicit.

Didn't Thomas do basically no work for years? And besides, in what world is one of the most prestigious jobs paying over $100k with full benefits and a lifetime employment guarantee not worth it?

darkmaian23 posted...

Didn't Thomas do basically no work for years? And besides, in what world is one of the most prestigious jobs paying over $100k with full benefits and a lifetime employment guarantee not worth it?

Because its not enough. For someone people its never enough.

America's legal system is clearly illegitimate at this point