Democratic lawmakers are pushing for stricter ethics rules for the Supreme Court after Justice Clarence Thomas allegedly accepted gifts and favors from a major conservative donor, Harlan Crow for almost 20 years. ProPublica reported that Justice Thomas did not disclose luxury vacations he took with Crow. These included stays on Crow’s yacht, and flights on his private jet. They also included visits to Crow’s all-male, private retreat in California. The friendship between Thomas and Crow goes back to the 1990s, and has raised concerns because of Virginia Thomas, Thomas’ wife's political activities. Crow has funded projects in Thomas' name and donated to causes led by Virginia Thomas, who has organised for a Tea Party-related group. Questions over conflict of interest have followed Thomas for years due to his wife's political activism, leading Democrats to push for tighter ethics rules for the Supreme Court.Ironically, the United States Supreme Court is the only branch in which there are no ethics rules. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democratic Senator from Rhode Island, said: “The fact that there’s no way to get an independent internal investigation of a justice is how Justice Thomas has been able to get away with all these reporting failures."