09/03/2026
A newly released financial disclosure confirms that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has not sold oil and gas holdings that watchdog groups say should disqualify him from a major climate case heading to the court this fall.
The filing, posted Monday by the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, covers Alito's finances for 2025 and is the last disclosure the public will see before the Supreme Court hears the case in October. Alito signed the document on August 11, three weeks before it became public. NBC News Supreme Court reporter Lawrence Hurley noted on Bluesky that the filing confirms the justice is still holding onto his oil and gas stocks ahead of the case.
Back in May, a coalition of watchdog and environmental groups asked the Senate Judiciary Committee to investigate whether Alito violated the Supreme Court's ethics code by remaining on the case. The groups wrote that a ruling favorable to the companies involved could benefit both Alito and Republican donor Paul Singer, calling it "an indefensible breach of ethical boundaries." They argued the only proper step is "a blanket recusal from participating in any one of them."
Lisa Graves of the watchdog group True North Research said it is "hugely problematic" that Alito holds investments that could be affected by the case, adding, "Judges should not be ruling on cases where their ruling could benefit themselves financially."
A court spokeswoman previously told NBC News that Alito is not required to recuse because he does not directly own stock in the two companies before the court.
The Supreme Court adopted its first formal ethics code in 2023 following reports of undisclosed luxury travel by justices, but the code leaves recusal decisions up to each individual justice. Graves said the code is "toothless and basically meaningless since it's not enforceable."
Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Dick Durbin said the matter "highlights the need for an enforceable code of conduct." Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley did not respond to a request for comment.
