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Clarence Thomas releases details of wife's past employment

By Bill Mears, CNN Supreme Court Producer
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas blamed the omission of the information on a misunderstanding.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas blamed the omission of the information on a misunderstanding.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Justice Thomas releases details of his wife's past employment
  • A liberal group noted that information was omitted on financial disclosure forms
  • Thomas blames the omission on a misunderstanding
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(CNN) -- Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has released newly corrected financial disclosure forms showing his wife's past employment, blaming a misunderstanding for years of omissions of Virginia "Ginni" Thomas' salary at a conservative think tank and other jobs.

Thomas was required to report the information on the annual disclosure forms all federal judges must file. The forms did not disclose how much money Mrs. Thomas was paid.

The updated records go back 13 years and confirm Mrs. Thomas has worked for the Heritage Foundation, the Republican leadership in the House and Hillsdale College in Michigan.

Her employers were known previously, since Virginia Thomas is a well-known conservative activist. She founded her own conservative group, Liberty Central, in late 2009. That information was also not disclosed on the justice's financial forms. She has since relinquished leadership of Liberty Central, but still has an advisory role.

The new information came after the liberal advocacy group Common Cause noted the omissions last week. The group also urged the Justice Department to investigate whether a speech the justice gave in 2008 before a conservative seminar sponsored in part by prominent GOP fundraisers created a possible conflict of interest.

Common Cause said its review of the Heritage Foundation's IRS forms showed Virginia Thomas earned nearly $700,000 from 2003-07 while at the think tank.