Gorsuch failed to disclose identity of buyer in land sale: report

Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch reportedly failed to disclose the identity of the buyer in a 2017 sale of land to the head of a major law firm.

In 2015, Gorsuch listed a 40-acre property in Colorado for sale. He owned a 20% stake in the property, according to Politico.

Nine days after his confirmation as a Supreme Court justice in 2017, Gorsuch and the property's co-owners secured a buyer in the form of Brian Duffy, the CEO of a Greenberg Traurig, a major law firm that often argues in front of the Supreme Court.

Gorsuch disclosed his receipt of funds between $250,001 and $500,000 stemming from the sale, but did not identify the buyer on the disclosure form, per the outlet.

Politico identified 22 cases presented to the court with which Greenberg Traurig has been connected since the sale. Of those, Gorsuch's opinion is recorded in 12. He sided with the firm eight times and voted against them on four occasions.

Duffy has indicated that is not a close friend of Gorsuch nor an associate of his to any meaningful degree. He has never personally argued cases in front of Gorsuch nor has he met him in a social context.

The revelation that Gorsuch did not disclose Duffy's purchase, however, comes at a time of heightened scrutiny of the Supreme Court's ethics guidelines.

Associate Justice Clarence Thomas has recently come under fire for his undisclosed vacations alongside GOP megadonor Harlan Crow, a close friend of the justice. Thomas has insisted he was not required to disclose the trips.

Amid the revelations, the Senate Judiciary Committee has sought the testimony of Chief Justice John Roberts or a justice of his choosing to answer questions about the court's ethics guidelines.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.