ProPublica series on Supreme Court gifts wins Pulitzer Prize

ProPublica received the Pulitzer Prize for public service on Monday for a series of articles on lavish gifts to Supreme Court justices that brought unprecedented scrutiny to the high court.

The award, considered among the most prestigious in journalism, was one of 15 Pulitzers bestowed on news organizations — including three each to The New York Times and The Washington Post and one to a digital community start-up in Santa Cruz, California.

In announcing the public service award, the board praised ProPublica’s “groundbreaking and ambitious reporting” that “pierced the thick wall of secrecy surrounding the Supreme Court” and led to the adoption of a code of conduct.

It began with an investigation that revealed Justice Clarence Thomas had been treated to luxury vacations over 20 years by billionaire Republican donor Harlan Crow that were never reported on the judge’s financial disclosure forms.

The award went to reporters Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott, Brett Murphy, Alex Mierjeski and Kirsten Berg. It was the seventh Pulitzer Prize for ProPublica.

Lookout Santa Cruz, a digital news organization that launched in November 2020, was honored in the breaking news category for its coverage of catastrophic floods and mudslides that displaced thousands of people and destroyed more than 1,000 homes and businesses.

The New York Times won in the international reporting category for its coverage of the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas and the Israeli military’s “sweeping, deadly response” in Gaza. The paper was also honored for investigative reporting and feature writing.

The Washington Post won alongside Reuters for national reporting. The paper also received prizes for editorial writing and commentary by Russian opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza.

The full list of 2024 Pulitzer Prize winners can be found here .