Leisure trip of right-wing judge Alito raises ethical questions
WASHINGTON – Right-leaning Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito taking a trip with a billionaire has raised moral and ethical questions.
Alito is believed to have taken a fishing trip to Alaska with billionaire Paul Singer in 2008.
He then did not recuse himself from hearing a case involving Singer’s fund.
In violation of professional ethics, Alito did not disclose the trip or his stay at a commercial fishing lodge owned by Robin Arkley.
Arkley is a donor to the right-wing movement.
The investigative news site ProPublica reported that Singer has repeatedly asked the Supreme Court to rule in his favor in high-profile business disputes.
In a Wall Street Journal article, Justice Alito defended his decision to travel with Singer.
He rejected charges that he violated federal law requiring Supreme Court justices to disclose most gifts.
Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse called Alito’s explanation for the trip full of holes.
According to ProPublica, Leonard Leo, co-chair of the conservative Federalist Society, helped arrange the Alaska trip.
“Leo had recently played an important role in the justice’s confirmation to the court. Singer and the lodge owner were both major donors to Leo’s political groups,” ProPublica reported.
Raymond Randolph, a conservative appeals court judge, also attended the trip.
The revelations came after the same news portal revealed that another right-leaning judge, Clarence Thomas, has been taking trips funded by billionaires for decades.
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