Even this conservative thinks the Clarence Thomas scandal has become too big to ignore

Writing for The Daily Beast on Thursday, conservative columnist Matt Lewis says that the new reporting about Clarence Thomas accepting tuition for his grandnephew from billionaire megadonor Harlan Crow, is the "straw that broke the camel’s back for me" — and the Supreme Court needs to adopt a code of ethics immediately.

"Even if Justice Thomas’ decisions have never been directly influenced by his friend’s generosity, Supreme Court justices should be expected to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. And there can be no denying that the optics of this situation are…bad," wrote Lewis. "Keep in mind that this latest revelation comes on the heels of reports that Thomas enjoyed lavish vacations on Crow’s dime and that Crow purchased the home of Thomas’ mother (and allows her to live there rent-free)."

Initially, Lewis admitted, he was ready to ignore this story because he supported Thomas' jurisprudence, and because he felt the public criticism of Crow's collection of Hitler memorabilia was unfair. But now, he believes it is impossible to ignore.

The whole situation, Lewis wrote, is akin to "a theoretical scenario where left-wing billionaire George Soros was paying for Biden-appointed Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s child to attend an extremely expensive school" — something Republicans would surely find "completely inappropriate."

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"If our elected officials (whom we could, at least theoretically, fire) are shedding credibility by wetting their beaks, then it must be doubly true of unelected judges with a lifetime seat," wrote Lewis. "It’s not like these institutions have credibility to burn. A 2022 Gallup survey showed that trust in the Supreme Court was at a historic low of 25 percent. That was down 11 percentage points from the previous year, no doubt owing to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. In the wake of these latest revelations regarding Justice Thomas, it may sink even lower ... It is vital that we preserve a separation of powers. But if we the people cannot demand that SCOTUS implement some reform or accountability, then the one unelected branch of government is beyond oversight."

Chief Justice John Roberts has a responsibility here, Lewis argued: "If Roberts really cares about preserving the credibility of this institution, he should push for serious, self-imposed reforms that would ban judges from accepting lavish gifts, regardless of whether there is direct quid pro quo."