Democrats across the land cheerfully joined in criticizing Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas's vacations at the homes of wealthy friends. Still, they are strangely quiet when one of their own is under scrutiny (yes, I know, the Supreme Court is supposed to be non-partisan, but come on.) And sure as shooting, one of their own is, and national Democrats are strangely quiet. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is now the subject of a complaint that she did not report portions of her husband's income, and that complaint is now under review by the Committee on Financial Disclosures in the Judicial Conference.
A conservative policy group, the Center for Renewing America, last month filed a complaint with the Judicial Conference – the governing body of federal courts – alleging that Jackson "willfully failed to disclose" required information about her husband’s malpractice consulting income for more than a decade.
On Dec. 21, the group was notified that its complaint had been referred to the Financial Disclosers Committee for official review.
"We are hopeful that the Judicial Conference takes a long, hard look at the ethics concerns surrounding Justice Jackson and ensures there is not a double standard for justices," Russ Vought, a former senior Trump administration official and president of CRA, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
It's possible, of course, that this was some oversight; ordinary Americans get caught all the time in the horrendous web that is our ridiculously complicated tax code. But a Supreme Court Justice should be held to a higher standard, thus, this investigation.
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What's interesting is how this comes hot on the heels of the complaining about Justice Thomas noted above; national Democrats everywhere were quick to jump on Justice Thomas for, essentially, hanging out with friends, but strangely quiet when Justice Jackson failed to report her spouse's income as required. Oversight or not, this is a matter of ethics for a member of the highest court in the nation and deserves scrutiny.
It seems straining at gnats and swallowing camels are required skills for Democrats these days.
Ethics issues aside, this incident also speaks volumes about the United States' labyrinthian tax code and all of the laws/regulations adjacent to it, like reporting requirements. My wife does our annual taxes, and since both of us have for decades eschewed traditional employment for making our own way, that's a complicated tax; she is always a bit short-tempered around tax season, in no small part because she sees the amount of money we are paying and understands what we are getting for it in return. Consult the experts: Given a problem that is anything but painfully obvious, any three experts will give you three different answers.
But, back to Justice Jackson:
CRA’s letter suggests that the Judicial Conference should ultimately refer Jackson’s possible ethics violations to Attorney General Merrick Garland for investigation and possible civil enforcement.
Prediction: Nothing will come of this. Merrick Garland will not investigate this, the Justice Department will do nothing with any referral, and there is zero chance of any civil enforcement. Why?
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