What kind of swag does Justice Roberts get?
When it comes to getting free stuff, it appears that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder might have better luck than Chief Justice John Roberts Jr.
According to a 2010 list released by the State Department’s Office of the Chief of Protocol, gifts given to the U.S. Supreme Court justice include “soapstone bookends” valued at $414 and a leather document box priced at $400, the Wall Street Journal Law Blog reported.
Comparatively, the attorney general’s gifts that year included an iPad, a Cartier watch and a Persian rug valued at $5,275.
Under the Emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution, federal officers can’t accept gifts from foreign states. They do take the gifts, the Wall Street Journal reports, to avoid embarrassing the dignitaries, and the gifts become property of the federal government. Some gifts are put on display (the Persian rug reportedly is displayed in Holder’s office), while others, like the iPad, are cleared for official use.
The other Administrative Office of the United States Courts official noted in the list was James F. Holderman, chief judge of the U.S. Northern District of Illinois. His reported items include pottery and porcelain items from Taiwan.
Below is a full list of gifts given to U.S. officials in 2010:
