Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson Gets Ethics Complaint Over Husband's Finances

A conservative policy group, the Center for Renewing America, has lodged an ethics complaint against Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, alleging a "willful" omission of required income disclosures spanning over a decade while serving on the federal bench.

Led by former senior Trump White House official Russ Vought, the think tank sent a letter to the Judicial Conference, asserting that Jackson failed to disclose crucial information about her husband’s malpractice consulting income.

Ketanji Brown Jackson slapped with ethics complaint over husband's income https://t.co/DJVy8WShu6 #FoxNews

— Audra Filomena Russo (@AudraFilomena) December 20, 2023

The letter urged the Judicial Conference to refer the potential ethics violations to Attorney General Merrick Garland for investigation and possible civil enforcement.

The complaint contends that federal judges must legally disclose the "source of items of earned income earned by a spouse from any person which exceed $1,000."

Despite initially disclosing two legal medical malpractice consulting clients who paid her husband over $1,000 for the year 2011, Jackson allegedly omitted this information in subsequent filings.

The letter cites Jackson's own admission in her 2020 amended disclosure form, acknowledging that some past disclosures inadvertently omitted her husband’s income from "consulting on medical malpractice cases."

Russ Vought argues in the letter that Jackson's husband's income does not qualify for the "self-employment" exception outlined in the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (EIGA).

The former head of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) contends that Jackson, aware of the requirements in 2012, listed specific sources of income for her first disclosure filing.

The head added that she failed to do so in subsequent filings, indicating a "willful" violation of the law.

Furthermore, the letter raises concerns about Justice Jackson's potential failure to report private funding sources for her "massive investiture celebration at the Library of Congress" in her most recent financial disclosure.

The complaint adds a layer of scrutiny to Jackson's ethical considerations, prompting a call for investigation and potential consequences if found in violation of disclosure requirements.