Chief Justice John Roberts' wife made $10.3 million in commissions from elite law firms

emperus

Diamond Member
Apr 6, 2012
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Eye Popping indeed. How is the even appearance of corruption in this not enough for the Chief Justice to have shut it down?

And life was indeed good for the Robertses, at least for the years 2007 to 2014. During that eight-year stretch, according to internal records from her employer, Jane Roberts generated a whopping $10.3 million in commissions, paid out by corporations and law firms for placing high-dollar lawyers with them.

That eye-popping figure comes from records in a whistleblower complaint filed by a disgruntled former colleague of Roberts, who says that as the spouse of the most powerful judge in the United States, the income she earns from law firms who practice before the Court should be subject to public scrutiny.

 

nickqt

Diamond Member
Jan 15, 2015
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I don't care all that much, it's hard to prevent someone from giving someone else money because that someone else has the ear of someone important. The potential for corruption is always there of course, but it's similar to Hunter Biden or Ginni Thomas.

Rich fucks are always going to put their money on the scales of justice so they get more of what they want while everyone else can go fuck themselves.

All of that said, get rid of lifetime appointments of the Supreme Court. Starting today.

The Supreme Court TERM Act could make the Supreme Court relatively less terrible than it is today. Each Justice can serve 18 years, then go do something else with your life you're fucking old and it's almost guaranteed your "interpretation" of the law is less valid than it was 20 years prior.
 

Zorba

Lifer
Oct 22, 1999
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I don't care all that much, it's hard to prevent someone from giving someone else money because that someone else has the ear of someone important. The potential for corruption is always there of course, but it's similar to Hunter Biden or Ginni Thomas.

Rich fucks are always going to put their money on the scales of justice so they get more of what they want while everyone else can go fuck themselves.

All of that said, get rid of lifetime appointments of the Supreme Court. Starting today.

The Supreme Court TERM Act could make the Supreme Court relatively less terrible than it is today. Each Justice can serve 18 years, then go do something else with your life you're fucking old and it's almost guaranteed your "interpretation" of the law is less valid than it was 20 years prior.
He should have to recuse himself from any case that is connected to a firm he personally benefited from. It's pretty straight forward, he's just another corrupt republican judge.
 
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nickqt

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Jan 15, 2015
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He should have to recuse himself from any case that is connected to a firm he personally benefited from. It's pretty straight forward, he's just another corrupt republican judge.
Is his wife not able to earn income? Because if she is, why would you assume he benefited from a payment to his wife?

This isn't me trying to defend corruption, it's me showing you why that ain't going to happen.
 

Fenixgoon

Lifer
Jun 30, 2003
31,493
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Is his wife not able to earn income? Because if she is, why would you assume he benefited from a payment to his wife?

This isn't me trying to defend corruption, it's me showing you why that ain't going to happen.
perhaps more important than avoiding impropriety itself is avoiding the appearance of impropriety.

can we prove that this influenced roberts in any way? no. and it may not have at all. but it calls into question his handling of past or potentially future cases with law firms that have been connected to his wife (and therefore, financially, him as well)
 

ivwshane

Lifer
May 15, 2000
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So before I let my outrage boil, I have one question; is this commission normal? Or is she an outlier for someone who has this particular type of job?
 

Dave_5k

Golden Member
May 23, 2017
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So before I let my outrage boil, I have one question; is this commission normal? Or is she an outlier for someone who has this particular type of job?
A commission is normal - but $10 million in commissions would never happen except for the opportunity for corrupt "influence"

Quite telling would be to see her income from before he became Chief Justice - I'd bet it was low 6 figures (or less) [Edit: nevermind, she stopped practicing law and started that special placement job after he became Chief Justice according to the linked article]
 

ivwshane

Lifer
May 15, 2000
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A commission is normal - but $10 million in commissions would never happen except for the opportunity for corrupt "influence"

Quite telling would be to see her income from before he became Chief Justice - I'd bet it was low 6 figures (or less) [Edit: nevermind, she stopped practicing law and started that special placement job after he became Chief Justice according to the linked article]

Are you saying this with a knowledge of the industry or is this your opinion?
 

Zorba

Lifer
Oct 22, 1999
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Is his wife not able to earn income? Because if she is, why would you assume he benefited from a payment to his wife?

This isn't me trying to defend corruption, it's me showing you why that ain't going to happen.
Seriously? His wife is part of his household, he benefits from her income. I can't do business at my job with any company connected to anyone in my extended family. She can make income but he shouldn't be allowed to rule in cases where he or his household has a financial interest in one of the parties. This is very basic conflict of interest stuff.

She can also choose to make money in a non-corrupt way.
 

Dave_5k

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May 23, 2017
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Are you saying this with a knowledge of the industry or is this your opinion?
Just my opinion ~ while a % of salary for recruiting/placing high-ranking executives (or in this case lawyers) is normal from what I understand, which can reach well into 6 figures per placement, I sincerely doubt she'd quickly capture that much of the high end placement market without the spouse connection...
 
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Dave_5k

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One other thought: even if she is the best, most talented recruiter ever, the optics are absolutely horrid. Starting a brand new job after your spouse gets appointed Chief Justice, and then not only getting paid 7-figures each year - but that sum is in fact being paid by various law firms that are appearing in front of the Supreme Court - just looks terrible.
 

Pens1566

Lifer
Oct 11, 2005
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One other thought: even if she is the best, most talented recruiter ever, the optics are absolutely horrid. Starting a brand new job after your spouse gets appointed Chief Justice, and then not only getting paid 7-figures each year - but that sum is in fact being paid by various law firms that are appearing in front of the Supreme Court - just looks terrible.

Right. If her husband owned a car dealership or something similar, there's no way she's making that much peddling clients to white-shoe firms.
 

emperus

Diamond Member
Apr 6, 2012
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Is his wife not able to earn income? Because if she is, why would you assume he benefited from a payment to his wife?

This isn't me trying to defend corruption, it's me showing you why that ain't going to happen.

Being 1 of 9 people who get to make decisions for 330million people, I think it is important to make sure you aren't even given off the appearance of impropriety. If that means you're partner not working a certain job, that's the sacrifice.
 

A///

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Feb 24, 2017
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I'd like to see the number of people she head hunted for these elite law firms. If it's 10 or 20 graduates then that commission total is suspect, not a big deal if it's a few hundred graduates. most partners at those high end corporate law focused firms are making several million a year take home pay.
 

ivwshane

Lifer
May 15, 2000
32,201
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Just my opinion ~ while a % of salary for recruiting/placing high-ranking executives (or in this case lawyers) is normal from what I understand, which can reach well into 6 figures per placement, I sincerely doubt she'd quickly capture that much of the high end placement market without the spouse connection...

A quick search shows that the highest paid recruiters make around 1 million, and she made around 1.2 million a year? Yeah something doesn’t smell right.
 

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
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So that's 3 of the SCOTUS justices with legit allegations of if not outright corruption, then things that just look really fucking ethically awful.
Two for sexual assault, two for egregious monetary corruption, one for slamming a giant burning cross on the back of the American female.
 

MrSquished

Lifer
Jan 14, 2013
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Kangaroo court.

But let's pack the court. So easy and simple according to the pseudo intellectuals.
 

Sunburn74

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Oct 5, 2009
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He should have to recuse himself from any case that is connected to a firm he personally benefited from. It's pretty straight forward, he's just another corrupt republican judge.
This. Honestly its mind boggling there aren't more recusals. Even things like cases that involve your religion, you should probably recuse yourself.

Being 1 of 9 people who get to make decisions for 330million people, I think it is important to make sure you aren't even given off the appearance of impropriety. If that means you're partner not working a certain job, that's the sacrifice.
At the very least, it should be on the disclosure form. Like even a dunce would see that...
 
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A///

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Where did the source article come from? is anyone not finding it slightly suspect this comes to light as more eyes are being drawn towards ginni thomas and clarence thomas? This entire day written media and televsion has been about the Roberts and not the Thomases. how totally not bizarre!