[the_sleaze_]

I genuinely struggle to comprehend the stance behind your comment. There are essentially no other official seats that are _not beholden to anti-bribery laws and standards.

This is like saying Pete Rose was innocent because he never threw any game he gambled on, or Trump can take gifts from Qatar because they never influenced him in any way.

I genuinely think this argument is made with dishonest motives. Truly astounding if it is not.

[apparent]

There are two possible reasons that someone might be generous with a justice: either because they like and want to support him, or because they want to influence him. The first presents no ethical issues, but the latter does.

If there is any evidence of the latter, perhaps you could point it out? AFAIK, none of the generosity ever received by Thomas came from a friend with business before the court. Furthermore, Thomas is perhaps the most easily predicted justice, since he sticks to his ideological guns, which are quite well-known. Attempting to bribe him would be a fool's errand, and by all appearances it has not happened, at least not successfully.

You're free to point to evidence to the contrary, if you're aware of it.