Clarence Thomas net worth: How Supreme Court justice made millions

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has been embroiled in controversy for months, namely for failing to disclose gifts and trips from Republican megadonor Harlan Crow.

In 2023, ProPublica reported on the undisclosed luxury trips and the associate justice’s decades-long friendship with the billionaire. Since then, there has been great interest in the finances of the 75-year-old—who is the longest-serving member of the current Supreme Court, having received a lifetime appointment in 1991 after being nominated to the bench by then-President George H.W. Bush.

On June 13, the Senate Judiciary Committee cited three more undisclosed trips: a private jet flight from Missouri to Montana in May 2017; a private jet flight from Washington, D.C., to Georgia and back in March 2019; and a flight from Washington, D.C., to California in June 2021.

So how wealthy is Thomas, and how did he make his money? In January, Forbes reported that the associate justice, originally from Georgia, was worth $4 million, crediting his position on the Supreme Court as the source of most of his money.

As of January, associate justices earn a salary of $298,500, the National Taxpayers Union Foundation reported—an increase from $285,400 in 2023. Previously, the salary was $274,200 in 2022, $268,300 in 2021 and $265,600 in 2020.

Thomas and his wife, Ginni Thomas, have most of their money stored in their pensions, Forbes reported, which add up to an estimated $2 million.

Other paydays include the $1 million Thomas made between 2006 and 2009 after selling his memoir rights to publisher HarperCollins, the report continued.

He also refinanced his family’s home—now worth about $1.4 million, Forbes reported—several times.

The pension, house and other retirement assets total an estimated $4 million—a comfortable net worth, but not one with enough liquid cash to pay for luxury travel, Forbes’ report concluded.

Thomas has previously defended his family’s acceptance of gifts and trips from Crow, whom he considered to be among his “dearest friends.”

In April 2023, following the ProPublica report, Thomas said in a statement: “Early in my tenure at the Court, I sought guidance from my colleagues and others in the judiciary, and was advised that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends, who did not have business before the Court, was not reportable. I have endeavored to follow that counsel throughout my tenure, and have always sought to comply with the disclosure guidelines.

“These guidelines are now being changed, as the committee of the Judicial Conference responsible for financial disclosure for the entire federal judiciary just this past month announced new guidance. And, it is, of course, my intent to follow this guidance in the future.”

Thomas eventually amended his financial disclosure forms, and the Supreme Court adopted a new code of conduct in November.

For comparison, Forbes’ analysis of the other Supreme Court justices estimates that Samuel Alito is worth $10 million. Sonia Sotomayor is worth $5 million. Elena Kagan is worth $4 million. Neil Gorsuch is worth $8 million. Brett Kavanaugh is worth $2 million. Amy Coney Barrett is worth $4 million. Ketanji Brown Jackson is worth $2 million. And Chief Justice John Roberts is worth $25 million.