Samuel Alito gained up to $2.9m from oil and gas assets since joining supreme court, analysis shows
Summary
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito earned between $390,000 and $2.9 million from oil and gas-related assets since 2005. He holds mineral rights to a property in Oklahoma linked to fossil fuel income, which raises questions about potential conflicts of interest as the Court prepares to hear a case involving oil companies.Key Facts
- Justice Alito’s fossil fuel interests increased in value from 2005 to 2024, growing from about $1.1 million to between $3.4 million and $8.4 million.
- Most oil and gas earnings came from a mineral interest on land in Grady County, Oklahoma, held by Alito’s wife.
- Alito’s reported income from this land included rental payments between $100,000 and $1 million in some years.
- The land was leased to a private oil and gas company in 2022, which was later acquired by a larger energy firm connected to a hedge fund.
- There is no public record of oil wells drilled on the land, but lease agreements state the owners would receive a share of any oil profits.
- Court watchdog groups have called for Alito to recuse himself from cases involving fossil fuels due to these financial ties.
- Supreme Court rules do not require recusal since Alito does not hold assets in the companies named in the current lawsuit (Suncor and ExxonMobil).
- The Court will hear arguments on a case about whether governments can sue fossil fuel companies over climate change on October 5, 2024.
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