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July 13, 2023

Clarence Thomas Aide Received Payments from Lawyers with Supreme Court Cases
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Several lawyers who've had business before the U.S. Supreme Court used
the online payment app Venmo to send money to a top aide to Justice
Clarence Thomas. That's according to The Guardian, which reports the
payments to the aide, Rajan Vasisht, appear to have been made in
connection to a 2019 Christmas party held by Justice Thomas. Among those
making payments was Patrick Strawbridge, who recently successfully
argued that affirmative action violated the U.S. Constitution, and
Elbert Lin, who played a key role in a case that saw the Supreme Court
limit the EPA's ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Former
White House ethics lawyer Richard Painter responded, "There is no excuse
for it. … A federal government employee collecting money from lawyers
for any reason … I don't see how that works."


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