The federal courts will not refer allegations that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas may have violated ethics laws to the Justice Department.

The U.S. Judicial Conference decided to not make criminals referrals to the Justice Department over separate ethics complaints against Justice Thomas violating ethics protocols.

The federal courts will not refer allegations that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas may have violated ethics laws to the Justice Department, the judiciary's policymaking body says.

Micheail Ward was convicted of first-degree murder in Hadiya's death in 2018, and sentenced to 84 years in prison. His conviction was reversed and he was granted a new trial last year.

An Illinois appeals court decision that overturned the convictions for a man accused of fatally shooting 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton in 2013 will stand, after the state’s highest court found that its justices were divided on the matter and dismissed the appeal.

Micheail Ward was found guilty and sentenced to 84 years in prison for the 2013 murder of Pendleton. His conviction was overturned in 2023, and a tie vote from the Illinois Supreme Court upheld the ruling Thursday.