The problem with Justice Alito’s undisclosed gifts

Justice Alito faces scrutiny for failing to declare luxury gifts from GOP megadonors; clashes erupt in three Sudan cities as cease-fire ends.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

SCOTUS has an undisclosed luxury gifts problem

Erin Schaff-Pool/Getty Images

• Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito failed to disclose a 2008 luxury trip he received from a conservative hedge fund manager in an apparent violation of ethics laws. [ProPublica]
• Alito took a flight on billionaire investor Paul Singer’s private jet that would’ve cost $100,000; another GOP megadonor paid for Alito’s accommodation at an Alaska fishing lodge.[Politico / Eric Bazail-Eimil and Matt Berg]
• After the trip, Alito didn’t recuse himself from a case involving Singer’s hedge fund and the Argentinian government. Alito sided with the majority, awarding Singer $2.4 billion. [NPR / Jaclyn Diaz]
• Ethics experts said Alito should’ve disclosed the gifts and recused himself from Singer’s cases. [Guardian / Martin Pengelly]
• In an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, Alito claimed he did not recuse himself because he never discussed the case with Singer and he didn’t declare the trips on his annual form because he didn’t have to. [Wall Street Journal / Samuel A. Alito Jr.]
• The report only adds to questions about Supreme Court justices’ ethical decisions judgment. Chief Justice John Roberts has resisted calls for reform. [Vox / Li Zhou]

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Vox's Nicole Narea explains how anger over abortion rights helped Democratic officials win Virginia primaries. [Vox / Nicole Narea]

Intense fighting resumes in Sudan

• Late Tuesday, fighting erupted between Sudan’s military and paramilitary forces in the capital city of Khartoum and other areas, hours before the end of a three-day ceasefire. [Associated Press]
• Residents reported air strikes, artillery fire, and ground clashes in the capital and two other cities surrounding the Nile as two rival generals battle for control of Sudan. [Reuters]
• The US and Saudi Arabia have brokered several ceasefires between the sides, but fighting has continued, raising questions about the effectiveness of the talks. [Al Jazeera]
• Countries pledged $1.5 billion — half of what the UN requested — for the crisis that has killed at least 2,000 people and displaced 2.2 million others since mid-April. [Deutsche Welles]

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The Supreme Court will soon rule on a case that could end the decades-long debate over the use of affirmative action in college admissions. [Vox / Fabiola Cineas]

• Most of Texas and parts of surrounding states are facing record-breaking temperatures and high humidity amid a southern heatwave that could worsen next week. [Axios / Andrew Freedman]
• Wednesday, a federal judge struck down Arkansas’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors, ruling it would harm patients and violate the Constitution. [CNN / Devan Cole]
• The USDA has approved the sale of lab-grown meat for the first time but high production costs mean it could take years to reach grocery stores. [Vox / Kenny Torella]

“As long as Chief Justice Roberts continues to dodge responsibility … public trust in our court will continue to plummet. We need reform now.”

[Kyle Herrig, president of the watchdog Accountable.US, on Supreme Court ethics reform / Guardian]

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