June 8, 2009--Justice Antonin (Nancy Pelosi) Scalia

Did you know—I didn’t—that like members of Congress each year Supreme Court justices are required to file financial disclosure forms?

According to a recent report in the New York Times (linked below) it appears that last year a few managed to anticipate the collapse of the economy and in the nick of time bailed out of their stock market holdings. Justice Stephen Breyer, for example, sold pretty much everything back in September and as a result is worth between $3.75 and $11.75 million. (They are not required to tell precisely how much they are worth—just within which ranges.)

Chief Justice Roberts, on the other hand, held tight to his stocks in 15 companies and saw his net worth drop to only $1.4 to $3.7 million. But about others, not to worry.

The two most liberal members of the court—wouldn’t you know it—are the wealthiest of the lot. Soon-to-retire Justice David Souter has between $6.0 and $27.6 million. Not bad for someone who lives in a small cabin in New Hampshire that reportedly has neither a telephone nor electricity. And Ruth Bader Ginsberg—who looks as if she spends $25 a week on food—weighs in at a cool $7.2 to $30.0 million.

Poor Justice Clarence Thomas of conservative free-market fame is the Court’s most modest member, worth only between $150,000 and $430,000. As with the other justices this does not include the value of his house.

Antonin Scalia, his ideological mentor, is not doing all that much better. He’s has just $1.2 to $2,8 million. It’s a good thing that presumably secure government pensions await them when they step down. Soon, I hope.

But they, again like members of Congress, are also required to report trips for which they are reimbursed with government (read taxpayer) money, and here’s where things really get interesting.

Remember back in February when the financial crisis was at it worst how Nancy Pelosi was massacred in the press (and by me here—actually by my mother and the Ladies of Forest Trace) for her alleged junket to Italy where she not only visited with the Pope, which could be considered work-related, but also with her husband went skiing in the Alps? And how she took seven Democrat colleagues along with her? And how the whole trip cost us—who were hurting and worried at the time about our finances—how the trip cost taxpayers $300,000?

Well, last year she was in high company. Strict constructionist and lion of fiscal conservatives, Justice Antonin Scalia, turns out to be the most-traveled of his Supreme Court colleagues. Though he didn’t have to put a dollar figure on how much his junkets cost, he did have to report that in 2008 he made 30 reimbursable trips. True, this was down from 33 the year before, but I wonder what he was doing while out and about more than every other week.

I assume he took papers along about the cases pending before the Court while he was off in Montana and Wyoming. I assume that when in Wyoming, no matter what court-related business he was engaged in, among other things I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that he was hanging out in a trout stream with his pal, at the time Vice President Dick Cheney. Wouldn’t you think discussing affirmative action or abortion? Or reminiscing about the Court’s decision back in 2000 that made George Bush president?

I would have paid to be there with them. But, then again, I think I did.