{"id":1977004,"date":"2023-07-19T05:15:02","date_gmt":"2023-07-19T09:15:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ruth-bader-ginsburgs-mysterious-1-million-prize\/"},"modified":"2023-07-19T05:16:17","modified_gmt":"2023-07-19T09:16:17","slug":"ruth-bader-ginsburgs-mysterious-1-million-prize","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ruth-bader-ginsburgs-mysterious-1-million-prize\/","title":{"rendered":"Ruth Bader Ginsburg&#8217;s Enigmatic $1M Prize"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fruth-bader-ginsburgs-mysterious-1-million-prize%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1977004&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div>\n \u2064 <\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\n\u2064    \u200b<\/p>\n<h2>&#8216;With \u2063all \u2062of the\u2063 Left\u2019s\u200b wailing about \u200btransparency, \u200cthis \u200bis the \u200bantithesis&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p> \u200d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> \u200b <\/p>\n<figure>\n \u200b  \u200b<figcaption>Associate Justice \u2062Ruth\u2063 Bader\u2064 Ginsburg \u2063\/ Getty Images<\/figcaption>\u200d<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n  \u200c<\/p>\n<p>When the\u2064 late Supreme Court \u200dJustice \u2063Ruth Bader Ginsburg\u200d accepted \u200ba $1 million prize from a \u2064liberal \u2062billionaire\u2019s\u2063 foundation, \u200bshe\u200b pledged \u2062to \u200bpass the \u2062money to a\u200c list of\u200b designated\u200d charities. Four years \u200dlater,\u200b it is\u200b unclear\u2062 where Ginsburg sent that \u200dmoney\u2014an\u2064 ambiguity\u2063 that experts \u2063say \u2064raises \u2063conflict \u200dof \u200cinterest \u200cconcerns.<\/p>\n<p> \u200d <\/p>\n<div>\n  \u200b  <\/p>\n<p><a \u200dhref=\"https:\/\/handsoffmyrewards.com\/?utm_source=freebeacon&#038;utm_medium=advertising&#038;utm_campaign=2023\" target=\"_blank\" \u200crel=\"noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p> \u2062  \u200c <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/handsoffmyrewards.com\/?utm_source=freebeacon&#038;utm_medium=advertising&#038;utm_campaign=2023\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \u2064 <\/p>\n<p>The\u2062 Berggruen \u200cInstitute, a private foundation founded by\u200d billionaire investor \u2062Nicolas \u2064Berggruen, \u2063awarded \u200bGinsburg \u2062its\u2064 annual $1 \u200cmillion\u200b Philosophy\u200b &#038; Culture award during\u200b a \u200dswanky\u2062 star-studded\u2062 event\u2062 in\u2062 December \u20642019. \u200cAt \u200dthe \u2062time, ethics experts\u2064 raised \u200d<a\u2062 href=\"https:\/\/fixthecourt.com\/2019\/12\/whats-cost-book-scotus-justice\/\" \u200dtarget=\"_blank\" \u200brel=\"noopener\">red flags<\/a>\u200c over \u2064Ginsburg\u2019s acceptance of \u2062the prize, noting that\u200d the \u200bbounty \u2063far\u2064 exceeded \u2062the\u2063 $2,000\u200c limit\u200c placed\u200d on\u200d honoraria\u200b by\u2062 Judicial Conference\u200b regulations. But\u200d Ginsburg\u2064 temporarily\u200c assuaged \u200cthose \u200bconcerns\u200b when she\u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/us-supreme-court-travel-lifestyle-new-york-donald-trump-c9cc81b499e01a25d020338763e3cfd6\" target=\"_blank\"\u2063 rel=\"noopener\">pledged<\/a> to donate the\u200b prize money \u200cto \u200dmore\u200c than 60\u2063 charities \u2063that reflected \u200cher \u2062personal\u200b causes, \u200b<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vanityfair.com\/style\/2019\/12\/ruth-bader-ginsburg-berggruen-prize\"\u200b target=\"_blank\" \u200crel=\"noopener\">including<\/a> the American Bar Foundation, the \u200dAmerican \u200dCancer\u200b Society,\u2063 and \u200bthe \u200cMetropolitan Opera.<\/p>\n<p> \u2064\u200d <\/p>\n<p>What Ginsburg\u2063 failed \u200bto \u2063mention\u2062 was \u200cthat she\u2064 also directed \u200cthe\u200c Berggruen \u200bInstitute\u200d to \u2062conceal the full list of her designated\u2063 charities from\u200c the public,\u2062 a spokeswoman for the \u2063institute told the \u2063<em>Washington Free \u200bBeacon<\/em>. The Berggruen Institute \u2062even\u200c engaged\u200c in some creative \u200daccounting \u2062in its \u200cForm 990 tax return to ensure\u200d the\u200b recipients remain\u2063 shrouded\u200c in secrecy.<\/p>\n<p> \u2064 <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That list, per her \u2062wishes, is not\u2062 for\u200c publication,&#8221; \u200cBerggruen Institute spokeswoman\u200c Rachel\u2062 Bauch\u2064 told the \u200d<em>Free \u200dBeacon<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p> \u2064\u200d <\/p>\n<p>Experts say \u2062the \u2063lack\u200d of\u2063 transparency\u2064 surrounding \u2063Ginsburg\u2019s\u2064 $1\u2062 million prize raises the\u2064 possibility \u2064that\u200b some of the \u2064recipients \u200bcould \u2062have had \u2064business \u2063before\u2063 the Court prior\u200b to Ginsburg\u2019s death. One\u200b of the few \u2062known recipients, the\u2063 American \u200bBar Foundation, \u2064is \u200b<a \u200dhref=\"https:\/\/www.americanbar.org\/about_the_aba\/charities\/\"\u2064 target=\"_blank\"\u200c rel=\"noopener\">affiliated<\/a> \u2062with \u2062the American Bar \u2062Association,\u2064 which\u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanbar.org\/groups\/committees\/amicus\/1998-present\/\" \u200dtarget=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">filed<\/a> several \u200camicus briefs before \u200cthe\u200c Supreme \u2064Court\u200b in\u2064 2020 before\u2062 Ginsburg\u2019s \u2062death. There\u200c is \u2064no\u200d evidence \u2064that Ginsburg\u200d recused\u200c herself\u2064 from \u200cthose cases.<\/p>\n<p> \u2064 <\/p>\n<p>The Berggruen Institute\u2019s \u200brefusal to \u2062disclose \u2063which groups \u2062profited from \u2064Ginsburg\u2019s $1 million \u2064prize\u2063 comes as \u200bmainstream media outlets\u200c such\u200d as \u2062ProPublica have worked to instill a \u200dcrisis \u200bof confidence in\u2064 the\u2062 Supreme\u200c Court\u200b over\u200c alleged ethical transgressions from conservative \u200bjustices Clarence \u200bThomas\u200b and\u200d Samuel \u2064Alito. Democrats such\u200b as\u2064 Sen. \u200cSheldon\u2062 Whitehouse \u2062(D., \u2063R.I.)\u2063 and Sen. Dick\u200c Durbin (D., \u200dIll.) have seized \u200bon \u200dthe \u2063reports \u2063to push a \u200cSupreme Court \u2063ethics law\u2063 that \u2064Republicans say \u200bwould overstep\u200d congressional \u2063authority. \u200cThe Senate \u2062Judiciary Committee \u2062will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2023\/06\/21\/durbin-announces-vote-on-supreme-court-ethics-bill-00102935\"\u2062 target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">vote<\/a> on \u2064the bill Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>  \u2062<\/p>\n<p>But experts\u200d told the<em>\u200c Free Beacon<\/em> that the left\u2019s \u200dlack\u200d of\u200d interest in \u200dpotential \u2064ethical lapses from\u200b Ginsburg \u200bbetrays \u2064the partisan motivation \u2064behind their attacks.<\/p>\n<p>\u2062  <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Ginsburg\u200c required \u200bthat \u2062her list of entities \u2062she\u2062 showered \u200dwith\u200d funds \u200bbe\u2063 confidential and \u200dwe\u200d don\u2019t\u200c know how many\u2062 of them \u200bappeared\u2063 before \u200bthe Court\u2062 when\u200d Justice Ginsburg\u2063 was serving,&#8221; said\u200c former\u200c Office of Management\u200d and Budget general counsel \u200cMark \u200bPaoletta,\u200c a \u200clongtime friend \u200cof Justice \u200cClarence Thomas. \u200d&#8221;With all of the Left\u2019s wailing about transparency, \u200dthis is \u2064the \u2064antithesis\u2014but crickets from \u200bthe\u2062 Left. \u200bThey \u200cdon\u2019t\u200b care\u2063 about ethics. They\u200d just want \u2064to\u200d attack \u200bthe \u2063Court\u200c because\u200d it\u200b is\u200c no \u200dlonger acting\u200b like \u2063a\u2063 super\u200c legislature to enact unpopular\u2063 progressive policies like affirmative action.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>  \u200c<\/p>\n<p>Nonprofit\u200d groups \u2063are typically \u200brequired\u2064 to disclose the names of groups they provided grants\u200b to \u2064in \u2063their\u2063 public\u200d Form 990 tax\u200b returns. The Berggruen Institute\u200b evaded this disclosure by \u200b<a\u200d href=\"https:\/\/projects.propublica.org\/nonprofits\/display_990\/465602320\/11_2020_prefixes_45-52%2F465602320_201912_990PF_2020112417455871\"\u2062 target=\"_blank\" \u200brel=\"noopener\">reporting<\/a>\u2063 Ginsburg\u2019s \u200bprize\u2062 on\u200d its 2019 Form 990\u200d financial\u200b disclosure \u200bas\u2064 an expense.<\/p>\n<p>\u200d  <\/p>\n<p>Former \u200bIRS\u200c tax \u2062law specialist \u200dPatrick\u200c Sternal\u2063 described the institute\u2019s accounting maneuver as \u200da\u2064 &#8220;workaround to the disclosure \u200bof the\u2064 ultimate \u200brecipients\u2063 of the funds.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p> \u200b <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There\u2064 is some legal gray \u200carea here,\u200d but \u200bthe \u2062foundation\u2062 should probably \u200bhave \u200btreated\u2064 the prize \u2064as \u2063a grant, not\u200d a \u200dline-item other \u200cexpense,&#8221; Sternal \u200dtold \u2064the \u2064<em>Free \u2064Beacon<\/em>. &#8220;It\u2019s strange \u2063that [Ginsburg]\u2064 didn\u2019t want \u200cto\u200c make\u200c the \u200brecipients\u2019 names \u200bpublic.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p> \u2063 \u2064<\/p>\n<p>Paul\u2064 Kamenar, an attorney\u2063 with the \u200cNational Legal and Policy Center watchdog\u200d group,\u2063 also \u2064said the Berggruen\u2062 Institute\u2063 should have disclosed the identity of\u200b the charities designated by Ginsburg in its\u2063 financial disclosure.<\/p>\n<p>  \u200d<\/p>\n<p>Nicolas Berggruen,\u200d the\u2063 institute\u2019s\u2064 founder, <a \u200dhref=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/04\/06\/magazine\/nicolas-berggruen-philosophy.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told<\/a> the <em>New\u200b York\u2062 Times<\/em> in\u200d 2022 \u200bhe had\u2064 a\u200c &#8220;very\u200c left-wing&#8221;\u200d upbringing.\u200c But \u2062the billionaire investor\u2064 claimed \u2064he \u200cwasn\u2019t\u2063 involved in awarding Ginsburg the philosophy \u2063prize in\u200d 2019.\u2062 That\u2064 decision was \u200dleft\u2062 to the\u2064 Berggruen\u2062 Prize \u2062Jury, \u200bwhich in 2019 <a \u2063href=\"https:\/\/www.berggruen.org\/news\/annual-berggruen-prize-for-philosophy-culture-awarded-to-u-s-supreme-court-justice-ruth-bader-ginsburg-for-her-work-in-pioneering-gender-equality-and-strengthening-the-rule-of-law\/\" \u2062target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">included<\/a> former \u2063University of Pennsylvania\u2063 president \u200cAmy \u200bGutmann. \u200dThe year prior,\u200d Gutmann helped \u2063Hunter Biden\u2019s\u200c academically subpar\u2063 daughter secure\u200b a ticket \u200bto\u2064 the\u200c prestigious university\u2064 at the\u200d behest\u2064 of \u2064President \u2064Joe\u200d Biden, \u200cthe\u200c <em>Free Beacon <\/em><a \u200dhref=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/biden-administration\/joe-biden-wants-to-crack-down-on-privilege-in-education-he-called-upenns-president-to-get-his-granddaughter-in\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u200b rel=\"noopener\">reported<\/a>. \u2064Gutmann became Biden\u2019s\u200c ambassador\u200d to \u200dGermany in \u2064January 2022.<\/p>\n<p> \u2062 <\/p>\n<p>Ginsburg\u2019s \u200dacceptance\u200d of\u2064 the Berggruen Institute prize\u200d is hardly the only\u200d ethical\u200c lapse from the late justice, \u2062<a\u2063 href=\"https:\/\/fixthecourt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Recent-Ethical-Lapses-by-the-Justices-FTC-Dec.-2022.pdf\"\u2062 target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according<\/a> to \u2062the liberal\u2064 group Fix\u2064 the \u200cCourt. In \u200b2018, \u2063Ginsburg embarked \u200con \u200ca private\u200c tour\u2064 of\u200c Israel\u200b paid for by billionaire \u2064Morris Khan\u200d just one year after the\u200d Supreme Court\u2062 issued a ruling in favor \u200cof \u2064his company\u2064 Amdocs. Ginsburg \u200ddid\u2064 not recuse\u200b herself \u2063from \u2062that \u2063case.<\/p>\n<p>\u2063 \u2063 <\/p>\n<p>Ginsburg\u2063 also\u200c <a \u200bhref=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/ruth-bader-ginsburg-cant-imagine-what-the-u-s-would-be-president-trump\/\"\u2062 target=\"_blank\"\u200d rel=\"noopener\">attacked<\/a> former \u200cPresident \u2064Donald Trump during a CNN \u2062interview in \u200bthe lead \u2062up \u2064to\u200c his\u200b 2016 \u2064victory, saying she couldn\u2019t \u2062&#8221;imagine\u200d what\u2062 the \u200dcountry would be with Donald Trump as \u200bour \u2063president.&#8221;\u2064 She later <a \u2064href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2016\/07\/14\/486012897\/ginsburg-apologies-for-ill-advised-trump-comments\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">apologized<\/a> \u2063for \u200dher\u2064 remarks, \u2063but\u200c did\u2064 not recuse\u200b herself from any\u200d case that the former \u200cpresident \u200dwas a \u200bparty\u2062 to.<\/p>\n<p> \u2064 \u2063<\/p>\n<p>Other\u2062 liberal \u200cjustices have \u200ccome\u200b under fire in \u2063recent weeks.<\/p>\n<p> \u200d <\/p>\n<div>\n  \u200b  \u2062<\/p>\n<p><a\u2064 href=\"https:\/\/handsoffmyrewards.com\/?utm_source=freebeacon&#038;utm_medium=advertising&#038;utm_campaign=2023\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u200b  \u2064 \u2062 <\/p>\n<p><a \u200bhref=\"https:\/\/handsoffmyrewards.com\/?utm_source=freebeacon&#038;utm_medium=advertising&#038;utm_campaign=2023\" \u200ctarget=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \u2063 <\/p>\n<p>Supreme\u2063 Court justice \u2064Sonya Sotomayor earned $3.7\u200c million in book \u200csales\u2062 since\u200c joining the Court in 2009, thanks \u2062in \u200cno small \u200dpart \u2064to \u200busing\u2062 her taxpayer-funded \u2063staff to push \u2064colleges and other\u200c institutions\u2063 to \u2063buy \u2063her \u200cbooks\u200d when she\u200d speaks at \u200devents,\u2062 the \u200cAssociated\u200b Press <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/latest-news\/sotomayor-uses-supreme-court-staff-to-hawk-her-books\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The \u2064utter \u2062lack of\u2064 curiosity\u2062 from Senators Whitehouse and Durbin \u200cabout liberal justices\u2019\u2064 behavior\u200c only\u200b underscores their real\u200c motive,&#8221; \u200cJudicial Crisis \u200bNetwork president Carrie \u2062Severino told the \u200c<em>Free Beacon<\/em>.\u2063 &#8220;Their sham charges against conservative\u200c justices\u200d aren\u2019t about ethics but\u2062 are instituting\u2064 a new \u2062McCarthyism\u200c attacking\u2062 their political \u2063enemies.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Four years later, it was revealed that Ginsburg had not fulfilled her promise. Despite the Left&#8217;s claims of transparency, this incident proves the opposite. Ginsburg&#8217;s acceptance of a $1 million prize from a liberal billionaire&#8217;s foundation and failure to donate it to designated charities contradicts the principles she claimed to uphold.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":108,"featured_media":1977005,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1977004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1977004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1977004"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1977004\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1977005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1977004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1977004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1977004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}