Supreme Court justices make side money

WASHINGTON - Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was the Supreme Court's most frequent flier in 2004, taking 28 paid trips to England, Austria and other places, financial reports show.

The annual disclosures on Friday painted a picture of a well-heeled group on the nation's highest court, with at least six of the nine justices holding more than $1 million in assets: O'Connor, Stephen G. Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Antonin Scalia, David H. Souter and John Paul Stevens.

None of the justices reported receiving gifts, although three of them - Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Anthony Kennedy - received more than $20,000 in side money for limited teaching duty at law schools. Two others, O'Connor and Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, picked up thousands more in book royalties.

O'Connor, an advocate of consulting international law for Supreme Court decisions, topped the group in travel to attend lectures, meet with students or receive awards.

Most of the trips were to domestic sites, including the University of Wyoming and the Aspen Institute, but included appearances at conferences in Burgundy, France (speech); The Hague (Iraqi Judicial Conference); Ottawa, Canada (meetings with Canada's Supreme Court justices); and Austria (lectures).

O'Connor, who also has written two books in the last three years, reported $12,500 in book royalties.

Scalia, a fierce critic of relying on international law for U.S. cases, was the second most well-traveled, logging 15 trips last year. Many were to foreign locales - including Kyoto, Japan, The Netherlands, New Zealand and Greece - as part of law school seminars.

From those trips, Scalia also received $21,500 in teaching fees, along with compensation for food, travel and lodging. He also participated in a "Marine Corps Mess Night" at Camp Lejeune, N.C. The disclosure did not specify what that event involved.

Kennedy, who went on 11 paid trips, earned $23,000 in teaching fees, of which $20,000 came from McGeorge School of Law, where he is an adjunct professor. Thomas accepted more than $23,000 in fees from five days of teaching at Hillsdale College and three days at the University of Kansas.

Rehnquist, who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer last fall, received about $55,000 for his book on the disputed presidential election of 1876, which was published last year.

The financial holdings that justices report include gifts and earnings, as well as some details of reimbursements they receive for travel. They do not include their homes and some other accounts.

Souter, who shuns public attention outside the court, reported no paid trips or non-investment income. He was also among the richest of the justices, with holdings of about $5 million to $25 million, due in part to stock that benefited from a bank merger in his home state of New Hampshire.

Other millionaires on the court were Ginsburg, reporting assets of about $6 million to $24 million; Breyer, with investments and holdings worth between $4 million and $15 million; O'Connor, citing holdings of about $2.7 million and nearly $6 million; Scalia, reporting holdings of about $1.5 million to $6.2 million; and Stevens, citing holdings of about $1.2 million to $3.1 million.

Rehnquist, meanwhile, reported assets of about $780,000 to $1.2 million. Thomas cited holdings of $150,000 to $410,000, and Kennedy disclosed assets of about $110,000 to $230,000.

Scotus Finances Glance

http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/news/politics/11866628.htm

Associated Press

Some details of Supreme Court Justices' 2004 travel and financial information:

_Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist - Three trips, to teach at the University of Arizona School of Law, Tulane University's summer program at Cambridge, England, and the University of Richmond; honorary memberships in golf and country clubs worth about $7,000; about $55,000 in book royalties; assets of about $780,000 to $1.2 million.

_John Paul Stevens - Two trips, to speak at Chicago lawyers' event and at San Diego University; honorary memberships at golf and country clubs worth more than $12,000; holdings of $1.2 million to $3.1 million.

_Sandra Day O'Connor - Travel reimbursement for 28 trips, including to England, France and Austria; $12,500 in book royalties. Holdings worth between $2.7 million and nearly $6 million.

_Antonin Scalia - 15 trips, including to Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Greece for law school seminars; $21,500 in teaching fees; honorary membership in golf and tennis clubs worth $5,500; $1.5 million to $6.2 million in holdings.

_Anthony M. Kennedy - 11 trips, including to Amsterdam and Canada; $23,000 in teaching fees; honorary memberships in golf and country clubs worth nearly $8,000; assets worth $110,000 to $230,000.

_David H. Souter - No paid trips; no country club memberships; investments worth between $5 million and more than $25 million.

_Clarence Thomas - Seven trips, all domestic; more than $23,000 in teaching fees; holdings of $150,000 to $410,000.

_Ruth Bader Ginsburg - 13 trips, including to France, Sweden, England and Hawaii; $8,500 in teaching fees from Hofstra University School of Law; assets between $6 million and $24 million.

_Stephen Breyer - 12 trips, including to London and Oxford, England, and Aspen, Colo.; numerous stock holdings including Coca-Cola Co., Gillette Co., Merck & Co., IBM, and Gannett Co.; assets of $4 million to $15 million.

Source: 2004 Financial Disclosure Reports.

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