司法监督组织Court Accountability的分析显示，美国最高法院大法官塞缪尔·阿利托自2005年至2024年间，通过石油和天然气资产获得了39万至290万美元的收益。[1]这些投资包括俄克拉荷马州Grady县的油气矿权，该矿权在2019年和2022年期间产生了10万至100万美元的租赁收入，以及他在2004年继承的埃克森美孚股票，价值在10万至25万美元之间。[1]此外，阿利托的妻子在2022年与Citizen Energy公司签订了油气租赁协议。[1]
关于利益冲突的争议随之浮现。阿利托拥有这些化石燃料投资，而最高法院即将审理涉及石油公司Suncor和埃克森美孚的诉讼案件。[1]批评人士认为其财务利益与这些案件构成直接的利益冲突。Suncor诉Boulder案将于10月5日进行口头辩论。[1]
尽管存在这些质疑，阿利托拒绝了要求其回避的呼吁，最高法院也拒绝了这一要求。[1]最高法院在2024年5月表示，由于阿利托持股不包括案件中的具体被告公司（Suncor和埃克森美孚），因此无需回避。[1]
最高法院于2023年采纳了首部正式伦理准则，规定大法官应在"廉洁性可能受到合理质疑"时进行回避。[1]但该准则在阿利托的案件中未得到适用。
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has gained between $390,000 and $2.9 million from oil and gas assets since joining the court in 2005, according to analysis by the judicial watchdog organization Court Accountability [1]. His fossil fuel holdings include mineral rights in Grady County, Oklahoma, and inherited stock in ExxonMobil [1].
The financial stake has raised concerns among critics who point to a potential conflict of interest, as the Supreme Court is set to hear cases involving oil companies Suncor and ExxonMobil, with oral arguments for the Suncor v. Boulder case scheduled for October 5 [1]. Alito's Oklahoma mineral rights generated between $100,000 and $1 million in lease income in 2019 and 2022, while ExxonMobil shares inherited in 2004 were valued at between $100,000 and $250,000 [1]. Additionally, his wife entered into an oil and gas lease agreement with Citizen Energy in 2022 [1].
Despite calls for him to recuse himself from the cases, both the Supreme Court and Alito have declined to do so [1]. The Court established its first formal ethics code in 2023, which stipulates that justices should recuse themselves when "impartiality might reasonably be questioned" [1]. However, in May 2024, the Court stated that Alito's holdings do not include the specific defendant companies named in the upcoming cases, and therefore recusal is not necessary [1].