Well, well, well. In a world of private jets and swanky yacht excursions, it appears U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has been living it up – all thanks to GOP megadonor Harlan Crow. According to a recent ProPublica report, this dynamic duo’s relationship has flown under the radar for years. However, their luxurious rendezvous haven’t only raised eyebrows but have also called into question whether or not Thomas has been playing by the rules. Let’s dive in, shall we?

Though transparency is essential when it comes to justices receiving hospitality perks, it turns out there are specific legal frameworks for this too. Recently, there have been clarifying rule updates to required disclosures for the judges of the highest court – like Thomas. And while one might think their “bromance” exempts them from following these rules, ethics experts disagree. According to ProPublica, Thomas should have been reporting those ritzy yacht outings and private jet trips all along.

Of course, this revelation has prompted a fair share of outrage, with politicians like Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) taking to Twitter to express her concern. In her tweet, she called for not only holding Justice Thomas accountable for violating federal disclosure law, but also to “ban justices from taking lavish, donor-funded vacations in the first place.” You tell ’em, Katie!

Now, you might be wondering why all this fuss about justices’ vacations even matters. After all, we all need a break sometimes, right? Well, the concern here is the potential for outside interests to sway the impartiality of a judge, especially one sitting on the Supreme Court. And when it comes to making decisions that could have massive repercussions for people across the United States, the last thing we need is for a justice to be swayed by a yacht trip.

While Crow claims he didn’t discuss any court cases with Thomas, it begs the question: should we take his word for it? After all, wouldn’t some concrete evidence be a little more reassuring? It seems that tightening the judicial code of ethics and ramping up anti-corruption safeguards could go a long way in ensuring our Supreme Court remains as fair and balanced as possible.

So, in a time where political scandals seem as common as ever, let’s remember the importance of holding our officials accountable and preserving the integrity of our judiciary system. No private jet or swanky vacation should ever come between a justice and their duty to uphold the law.