Ranking Member Raskin, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, Senator Luján Introduce Bill to Impose $50 Gift Ban on Supreme Court Justices
Legislation Cracks Down on Lavish Gifts to Supreme Court Justices With $50 Limit Aligning Ethics Rules With Gift Ban on Members of Congress, Other Judges, and Executive Branch Officials
Washington, D.C. (July 14, 2026)—Today, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Sen. Ben Ray Luján introduced the High Court Gift Ban Act, legislation to close a glaring ethics loophole that allows U.S. Supreme Court Justices to accept lavish gifts from wealthy benefactors and individuals with interests before the Court.
Unlike Members of Congress and executive branch officials—who are all bound by strict gift rules—Supreme Court Justices are not currently bound by any limits on the value of the gifts they can accept. Investigative reporting has shown that some Justices have exploited this loophole, taking in lavish “gifts” from wealthy benefactors and political allies worth tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars—benefits that, in some cases, look more like payments than presents.
The scale of these undisclosed perks is staggering. One analysis found that Justices have accepted at least 445 gifts worth nearly $5 million over the past two decades. Reports have detailed that Justice Clarence Thomas alone received more than $4.2 million in luxury travel and other benefits from wealthy individuals with interests before the Court, including trips to Bali, stays at exclusive private retreats, and even a forgiven loan to purchase a luxury motor coach.
The High Court Gift Ban Act would block Justices from receiving gifts valued at more than $50 in a single instance or more than $100 in aggregate over the course of a year. It would also cap gifts of personal hospitality, like free trips on billionaires’ yachts and private jets, which are currently unregulated. This brings the Supreme Court in line with similar ethical standards governing Members of Congress and Executive Branch officials.
“In every other part of the federal government, taking lavish gifts from interested parties is called corruption—but at the Supreme Court, it’s bizarrely been treated as a job perk. A gaping ethics loophole has allowed Justices to accept lavish gifts from individuals who may have business before the Court, which totally undermines public confidence in judicial fairness and independence. Our bill closes this indefensible loophole by saying that Supreme Court Justices should follow the same basic gift rules as every other federal official and their fellow judges. Americans shouldn’t have to wonder whether wealthy litigants and interested parties are influencing Supreme Court decisions with trips to luxury resorts, flights on private jets, and cruises on luxury yachts,” said Ranking Member Raskin.
“The Supreme Court is facing a major corruption crisis. As it stands, Supreme Court Justices are laccepting gifts from wealthy benefactors and people with special interests before the Court, actively furthering the distrust between working-class Americans and our legal institutions. That is why I am proud to introduce the High Court Gift Ban Act, alongside Congressman Jamie Raskin and Senator Ben Ray Luján, to remove the influence of dark money from our nation’s highest judicial body. We must pass this commonsense proposal to safeguard the sanctity of our legal institutions and democracy,” said Rep. Ocasio-Cortez.
“Over the past several years, we’ve seen far too many reports detailing how lavish gifts and luxury travel have undermined public confidence in the Supreme Court. That’s why I’m proud to partner with colleagues to introduce the High Court Gift Ban Act, which would hold Supreme Court justices to the same ethical standards as other high-ranking federal officials. The Supreme Court—our nation’s highest and most powerful court—should be held to the highest ethical standards to protect our democracy from the influence of dark money and special interests,” said Senator Luján.
The High Court Gift Ban Act was previously introduced by Ranking Member Raskin and Rep. Ocasio-Cortez in the 118th Congress.
41 House Democrats are original cosponsors of the legislation.
The High Court Gift Ban Act is endorsed by leading advocacy organizations, including: AFSCME, American Federation of Teachers, Alliance for Justice, American Humanist Association, Center for American Progress, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Clean Elections Texas, Courage California, Court Accountability, Courts Matter Illinois, EarthJustice, Enough of Gun Violence, Equality California, FFRF Action Fund, Fix the Court, Free Speech for People, Government Information Watch, Greenpeace USA, Indivisible, Leage of Conservation Voters, MoveOn, National Association of Consumer Advocates, National Women’s Law Center, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Ohio Fair Courts Alliance, People for the American Way, People Power United, Public Citizen, Reproductive Freedom for All, Secular Coalition for America, Secure Elections Network, Stand Up America, Supreme Court Integrity Project, Take Back the Court Action Fund, True North Research, Voices for Progress, and The Workers Circle.
Click here to read the bill text.