Pressure Continues to Mount on Justice Thomas for Clear Violation of Judicial Ethics

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (March 29, 2022) — Last Thursday, following reports of Ginni Thomas’s involvement in the January 6th Capitol attack, Take Back the Court became the first organization to call for Thomas to resign from his seat on the Court. ICYMI, our call to action was covered by The Nation, Salon, Newsweek, and The Hill.

In the days since, outrage and pressure has continued to mount on Justice Thomas, with growing calls for a congressional investigation into his violation of judicial ethics. Read more below:

"A group of House and Senate Democrats sent a letter to the Supreme Court on Monday requesting that Justice Clarence Thomas recuse himself from any future cases involving the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol or efforts to overturn the 2020 election, along with a "written explanation for his failure to recuse himself” in previous cases on those subjects.

"The letter, spearheaded by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), follows The Washington Post’s reporting on repeated efforts by conservative activist Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the Supreme Court justice’s wife, to pressure White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to pursue various avenues to overturn the 2020 election. ...

"Signatories include Senate Judiciary Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), Sens. Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), Alex Padilla (Calif.), Cory Booker (N.J.), Ron Wyden (Ore.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.) and Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), along with thirteen House Democrats."

Senator Richard Blumenthal

Senator Cory Booker

Senator Dick Durbin

Senator Amy Klobuchar

Senator Ron Wyden

Rep. Veronica Escobar

Rep. Pramila Jayapal

Rep. Hank Johnson

Rep. Mondaire Jones

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Rep. Ilhan Omar

Rep. Nydia Velazquez

Richard Signorelli, former Assistant US Attorney and member of the Supreme Court Bar

Jackie Calmes, LA Times Columnist: Now no doubt: Clarence Thomas should be recusing himself

“The cloud he’s cast over the court is as ominous as any in memory. It’s time to shift attention from Ginni Thomas to the justice, and demand an accounting from him. We can no longer just hold our noses and go on.”

Mehdi Hasan, MSNBC Opinion Columnist: Why Democrats Should Impeach Justice Clarence Thomas

“In fact, unlike others on the court, such as Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Stephen Breyer, who have recused themselves from cases involving family members, Clarence Thomas has never recused himself from a case because of Ginni Thomas or her work.

Why should we continue to tolerate his outrageous and unethical behavior?”

Joy-Ann Reid, MSNBC Host

Jesse Wegman, NYT Columnist: Ginni and Clarence Thomas Have Done Enough Damage

“If Justice Thomas were sitting on any other federal court in the country, he would likely have been required by the code of judicial ethics to recuse himself many times over. But the code does not apply to Supreme Court justices, creating a situation in which the highest court in the land is also the most unaccountable. This is not tolerable.”

“No one should have to choose between their devotion to their spouse and their duty to the nation. But Justice Thomas has shown himself unwilling or unable to protect what remains of the court’s reputation from the appearance of extreme bias he and his wife have created. He would do the country a service by stepping down and making room for someone who won’t have that problem.”