Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas pushed for a raise in a conversation with a GOP congressman and in other private discussions in 2000, according to a new investigation from ProPublica. “One or more justices will leave soon” if Congress doesn’t give justices more money, he told the lawmaker, according to ProPublica. The congressman reportedly thought Thomas, who was then deeply in debt, might retire from the court if he didn’t start earning more. ProPublica reports that Thomas’ salary at the time was $173,600—equivalent to $300,000 today—but he was one of the least wealthy members on the court. Thomas also reportedly pushed for the ban on speaking fees for justices to be lifted, to no avail. In the years after 2000, Thomas began accepting gifts and favors from wealthy friends and acquaintances, including billionaire donor Harlan Crow.
