Clarence Thomas called to recuse himself from Jan. 6 cases
House Democrats reportedly held a closed-door meeting Tuesday to discuss the controversy.
Justice Clarence Thomas is currently shrouded in scrutiny from lawmakers and legal experts for refusing to recuse himself from cases related to the Jan. 6 insurrection.
As reported by NBC News, Thomas and his wife, Ginni, are feeling the heat following the exposure of her texts to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows urging him to lead efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
Justice Thomas is being questioned about whether or not he was aware of his wife’s antics.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) wants Justice Thomas to resign or face impeachment for alleged ethical breaches.
“Clarence Thomas should resign,” she wrote on Twitter. “If not, his failure to disclose income from right-wing organizations, recuse himself from matters involving his wife, and his vote to block the Jan 6th commission from key information must be investigated and could serve as grounds for impeachment.”
House Democrats reportedly held a closed-door meeting Tuesday to discuss the controversy.
“It’s up to an individual justice to decide to recuse himself if his wife is participating in a coup,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi told the group, according to a source in the room, per NBC News.
“I do think he should recuse himself,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), told reporters, according to the report. “The information we know right now raises serious questions about how close Justice Thomas and his wife were to the planning and execution of the insurrection.”
He added: “I think there should be some kind of code of ethics for Supreme Court justices.”
As theGrio previously reported, per the Washington Post, the exchanges between Meadows and Ginni Thomas began on Nov. 10, 2020, after Democratic nominee Joe Biden was declared the winner of the presidential election by major news outlets.
“Help This Great President stand firm, Mark!!!… You are the leader, with him, who is standing for America’s constitutional governance at the precipice,” Thomas texted him. “The majority knows Biden and the Left is attempting the greatest Heist of our History.”
Per the earlier report, the dialogue continued as parties within the Trump camp vowed to contest the election results to the Supreme Court. The messages reportedly do not directly reference Justice Thomas or America’s highest court directly, but one from Mrs. Thomas mentions “a conversation with my best friend just now,” WaPo reported.
Following these revelations, Justice Thomas has reportedly refused to step back from cases concerning the 2020 presidential election.
Per NBC News, in a letter addressed to Justice Thomas and Chief Justice John Roberts, two dozen congressional Democrats urge Thomas to “promptly recuse himself from any future Supreme Court cases involving efforts to overturn the 2020 election or the January 6th attack on the Capitol.”
The letter, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), also calls on Roberts to “commit no later than April 28, 2022 to creating a binding Code of Conduct for the Supreme Court.”
The lawmakers want this Code of Conduct to include “enforceable standards for recusal,” per NBC News.
“Chief Justice Roberts has often spoken about the importance of the Supreme Court’s ‘credibility and legitimacy as an institution.’ That trust, already at all-time lows with the American public, must be earned,” the lawmakers wrote.
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