Alito earned up to $2.9m from oil and gas assets since 2005, analysis finds

Court to hear Suncor climate case Oct. 5 amid demands for Alito’s recusal

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito gained up to $2.9 million from his oil and gas interests between 2005 and 2024, according to an analysis of his financial disclosures by Court Accountability, a non-profit advocacy group and judicial watchdog. The review, shared exclusively with The Guardian, found that even at the lowest range of estimates, Alito gained almost $400,000 since George W. Bush tapped him for the high court in 2005. The findings raise questions about whether Alito can weigh in impartially on cases affecting the fossil fuel sector, and the court will hear oral arguments Oct. 5 in a case in which oil companies Suncor Energy and Exxon asked the justices to block climate lawsuits filed by subnational governments against fossil fuel producers.

Alito’s financial disclosures show his reported assets — excluding his home and other personal property — grew from about $1.1 million in 2005 to between $3.4 million and $8.4 million by 2024. Federal financial disclosures report assets in ranges. During that period, his oil and gas holdings made him between $390,000 and $2.9 million, the review found.

The Trump administration, which is siding with the oil companies, has asked for 10 minutes of argument time. The court said this month it will hear arguments on the opening day of its new term. Alito is the only justice with holdings in energy companies. Court Accountability and other groups have called for a Senate committee to investigate Alito’s finances and for him to recuse himself. He and the court rejected those calls.

In May, a court spokesperson told NBC News that Alito is not required to recuse himself from the Suncor lawsuit because his holdings do not include the companies directly named in the case, Suncor and Exxon. Alito has owned stock in a variety of oil companies, including ConocoPhillips, its predecessor Phillips 66, Chevron and Kinder Morgan.

In 2004, Alito inherited Exxon stock valued between $100,000 and $250,000. He appears to have sold that stock since. A lease for oil and gas extraction on his property in Oklahoma gives the owners a three-sixteenths interest in the oil proceeds, but there is no public evidence that a well has been drilled.

Alito voted in the majority in a 2022 ruling involving the Environmental Protection Agency. In a case in June 2022, he joined Justice Gorsuch’s majority in arguing the EPA lacked broad authority under the Clean Air Act to require a shift away from fossil fuels. More recently, he joined the majority in two 2024 decisions that overturned the Chevron doctrine.

The Supreme Court adopted a formal ethics code in 2023 and said that justices should recuse themselves from cases where their impartiality might reasonably be questioned. His failure to submit the 2025 disclosure document by the May 15 deadline adds to scrutiny. Justices can obtain a 90-day extension; if Alito received one, he will file on Thursday.

Alito is the only justice who hasn’t yet submitted his 2025 disclosure form, which was due May 15. He filed his disclosure in August last year. The Guardian has contacted the Supreme Court and Alito for comment.