Pulitzer
Prize
for
Public
Service
designed
by
Daniel
Chester
French
in
1917
We
told
you
this
was
going
to
happen.
The
good
folks
at
Pro
Publica
spent
the
better
part
of
2023
speaking
truth
to
power
and
digging
into
the
questionable
habit
of
largely
right-wing
members
of
the
Supreme
Court
accepting
lavish
gifts
and
failing
to
do
the
required
disclosures.
And
now
they’re
getting
a
spiffy
award
for
their
efforts!
The
team
at
Pro
Publica
—
Joshua
Kaplan,
Justin
Elliott,
Brett
Murphy,
Alex
Mierjeski,
and
Kirsten
Berg
—
are
the
2024
recipients
of
the
Pulitzer
Prize
in
the
category
of
public
service.
Congrats!
Their
work
included
uncovering
evidence
that
Supreme
Court
justice
Clarence
Thomas
took
hundreds
of
thousands
of
dollars
in
undisclosed
gifts.
Thomas
had
wealthy
buddies
cover
private
school
tuition
for
his
family
on
his
behalf,
provide
his
mother
rent-free
housing, and buy
him
an
RV.
And
part
of
the
reason
the
gifts
started
pouring
in
to
the
justice
was
because
he
made
conservatives
nervous
he
was
going
to
retire
if
he
*didn’t*
start
living
the
high
life.
From
the
Pultizer
announcement:
Groundbreaking
and
ambitious
reporting
that
pierced
the
thick
wall
of
secrecy
surrounding
the
Supreme
Court
to
reveal
how
a
small
group
of
politically
influential
billionaires
wooed
justices
with
lavish
gifts
and
travel,
pushing
the
Court
to
adopt
its
first
code
of
conduct.
Well,
easy
there
warhorse.
Sure,
there’s
been
some
effort
to
make
it
look
like
something
is
being
done
about
the
rot
on
the
Court.
But,
ultimately,
it’s
been
a
lot
of
sound
and
fury
signifying
nothing.
Frankly,
I
feel
confident
the
Pro
Publica
reporters
know
better
than
most
that
the
changes
enacted
thus
far
aren’t
enough
to
solve
the
problem.
Earlier: Paragon
Of
Virtue
Clarence
Thomas
Has
Been
Given
Half
Million
In
Value
Off
The
Record
And
It
Totally
Hasn’t
Impacted
His
Judging.
Not
One
Bit.
Nope.
Clarence
Thomas
Skated
On
Ethics
Complaints
In
2012…
Meaning
He
Definitely
Already
Knew
The
Rules
Appearance
Of
Bribery:
Political
Megadonor
Wants
Us
To
Believe
He
Bought
And
Improved
Justice’s
Mom’s
House
Off
The
Record
Because
Of
History
Or
Something
That
Perfectly
Innocent
Way
One
Funnels
Money
To
The
Spouse
Of
A
Supreme
Court
Justice
While
Trying
To
Avoid
A
Paper
Trail
Clarence
Thomas
RV
Financed
By
Rich
Health
Care
Executive
In
Least
Shocking
Development
Ever
It’s
Going
To
Be
A
Lot
Harder
For
Clarence
Thomas
To
Justify
The
Most
Recent
Ethics
Scandal
Federalist
Society
Tells
Founder
He
Can’t
Call
Himself
‘Founder’
In
Purity
Purge
Clarence
Thomas
Thinks
He
Was
Practically
Forced
To
Take
All
That
Under
The
Table
MoneyClarence
Thomas
Can
Take
Bribes
Because
He
Grew
Up
Poor,
Declares
Professor
John
Oliver
Tries
To
Tempt
Clarence
Thomas
Into
Retirement
Offering
Millions,
Sweet
Ride
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon
@Kathryn1@mastodon.social.