Chief Justice in a Pickle -- What To Do with Clarence Thomas?
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1Limelite
Did the "Big Lie" Penetrate SCOTUS?
Ginni Thomas, "Big Lie" promoter, QAnon embracer, election seditionist, and wife of Supreme Court Justice, Clarence Thomas, has put Chief Justice Roberts in the very uncomfortable position of having to do the right thing. The recent history of the right wing is to do the opposite.
Justice Thomas was the lone judge who voted against allowing the J6 Committee to get Trump's papers. Consider, he's married to an outright seditionist who has insider access to the top of the Executive branch. It's beyond belief to think that Ginni and Carl don't spend extensive time in pillow talk, especially considering their insider status to the judicial and executive branches of government. That makes it beyond belief that Clarence Thomas could be regarded as untouched and yet objectively capable of sitting on the bench to possibly make decisions regarding any potential cases resulting from the J6 Committee's investigation into Trump's and his gangs' perfidies.
All of which places Chief Justice Roberts in the unenviable position of having to, by virtue of his title, uphold the impartial ethics the SCOTUS has represented throughout our history by disqualifying Judge Thomas who has announced he will not recuse himself, or being the first Chief Justice to undermine his oath and, by bowing to expediency, let the reputation of the Supreme Court be destroyed forever.
Ginni Thomas, "Big Lie" promoter, QAnon embracer, election seditionist, and wife of Supreme Court Justice, Clarence Thomas, has put Chief Justice Roberts in the very uncomfortable position of having to do the right thing. The recent history of the right wing is to do the opposite.
Justice Thomas was the lone judge who voted against allowing the J6 Committee to get Trump's papers. Consider, he's married to an outright seditionist who has insider access to the top of the Executive branch. It's beyond belief to think that Ginni and Carl don't spend extensive time in pillow talk, especially considering their insider status to the judicial and executive branches of government. That makes it beyond belief that Clarence Thomas could be regarded as untouched and yet objectively capable of sitting on the bench to possibly make decisions regarding any potential cases resulting from the J6 Committee's investigation into Trump's and his gangs' perfidies.
All of which places Chief Justice Roberts in the unenviable position of having to, by virtue of his title, uphold the impartial ethics the SCOTUS has represented throughout our history by disqualifying Judge Thomas who has announced he will not recuse himself, or being the first Chief Justice to undermine his oath and, by bowing to expediency, let the reputation of the Supreme Court be destroyed forever.
2kiparsky
If we're being serious about this question, we need to be thinking not just about Thomas' current and future participation, but also about what this means for his previous opinions and their status in law. He's made no secret of his long-standing commitment to a radical judicial philosophy that reflects nothing found in American law, in the constitution, its antecedents, or in ordinary understanding of justice. He's also boasted about using his opinions to set the groundwork for future radical anarchists to undermine American law (see the recent NY Times magazine article on the Thomases, for example)
It seems to me that since Thomas' confirmation we've seen a gradual degradation of the Supreme Court as an institution in American politics, and it's not obvious to me that America can keep this Court as it is currently structured. That may be another discussion for another time, but it's clear as day that without an explicit wholesale rejection of Thomas' entire body of opinions, the Court's downward slide into irrelevance will continue and accelerate.
It seems to me that since Thomas' confirmation we've seen a gradual degradation of the Supreme Court as an institution in American politics, and it's not obvious to me that America can keep this Court as it is currently structured. That may be another discussion for another time, but it's clear as day that without an explicit wholesale rejection of Thomas' entire body of opinions, the Court's downward slide into irrelevance will continue and accelerate.
3margd
Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court justice, pressed Ariz. lawmakers to help reverse Trump’s loss, emails show
Emma Brown | May 20, 2022
...Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the conservative activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, pressed Arizona lawmakers after the 2020 election to set aside Joe Biden’s popular-vote victory and choose “a clean slate of Electors”...
The emails, sent by Ginni Thomas to (to Russell “Rusty” Bowers, a veteran legislator and speaker of the Arizona House, and Shawnna Bolick, who was first elected to the chamber in 2018 and served on the House elections committee during the 2020 session) on Nov. 9, 2020, argued that legislators needed to intervene because the vote had been marred by fraud. Though she did not mention either candidate (Biden, Trump) by name, the context was clear.
Just days after media organizations called the race for Biden in Arizona and nationwide, Thomas urged the lawmakers to “stand strong in the face of political and media pressure”...the responsibility to choose electors was “yours and yours alone” and (you) have “power to fight back against fraud...Article II of the United States Constitution gives you an awesome responsibility: to choose our state’s Electors...(P)lease take action to ensure that a clean slate of Electors is chosen.”...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2022/05/20/ginni-thomas-arizona-el...
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ETA
Jane Mayer (NYer) @JaneMayerNYer | 12:50 PM · May 20, 2022:
One additional detail: Clarence Thomas is The Godfather to Clint Bolick’s child, and Bolick’s wife is the AZ lawmaker who Ginni Thomas pressured to overturn the 2020 election. No conflicts of interest?
Emma Brown | May 20, 2022
...Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the conservative activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, pressed Arizona lawmakers after the 2020 election to set aside Joe Biden’s popular-vote victory and choose “a clean slate of Electors”...
The emails, sent by Ginni Thomas to (to Russell “Rusty” Bowers, a veteran legislator and speaker of the Arizona House, and Shawnna Bolick, who was first elected to the chamber in 2018 and served on the House elections committee during the 2020 session) on Nov. 9, 2020, argued that legislators needed to intervene because the vote had been marred by fraud. Though she did not mention either candidate (Biden, Trump) by name, the context was clear.
Just days after media organizations called the race for Biden in Arizona and nationwide, Thomas urged the lawmakers to “stand strong in the face of political and media pressure”...the responsibility to choose electors was “yours and yours alone” and (you) have “power to fight back against fraud...Article II of the United States Constitution gives you an awesome responsibility: to choose our state’s Electors...(P)lease take action to ensure that a clean slate of Electors is chosen.”...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2022/05/20/ginni-thomas-arizona-el...
-----------------------------------------------------------
ETA
Jane Mayer (NYer) @JaneMayerNYer | 12:50 PM · May 20, 2022:
One additional detail: Clarence Thomas is The Godfather to Clint Bolick’s child, and Bolick’s wife is the AZ lawmaker who Ginni Thomas pressured to overturn the 2020 election. No conflicts of interest?
4Limelite
Anyone Else Notice Uncle "Thom"as Forgot One?
Following the victory of overturning Roe, a certain SCOTUS justice wants to destroy even more human rights for people of whom and practices of which he disapproves.
Says Clarence. . .
> Ban contraceptives! (Except, presumably for men. Women, no more purchasing Trojans!)
> Overturn same-sex marriage! (Because. . .well, just 'cause!)
Says I. . .
Aren't you forgetting to trammel on still other people's marital rights? Where's your push to outlaw miscegenation? (Oh!)
Following the victory of overturning Roe, a certain SCOTUS justice wants to destroy even more human rights for people of whom and practices of which he disapproves.
Says Clarence. . .
> Ban contraceptives! (Except, presumably for men. Women, no more purchasing Trojans!)
> Overturn same-sex marriage! (Because. . .well, just 'cause!)
Says I. . .
Aren't you forgetting to trammel on still other people's marital rights? Where's your push to outlaw miscegenation? (Oh!)
5alco261
The reality is Roberts isn't the Chief Justice - he's is of no consequence - just a lump of warm meat sitting in a chair. The Alito-Thomas goon squad is running things and they are going to do whatever they want to whomever they want whenever they want.
6kiparsky
>5 alco261: The Chief Justice's role is actually pretty limited. They assign decisions to judges, that's pretty much their main job apart from ceremonial appearances.
7prosfilaes
I'm scared that Thomas wanted to take that libel case, even if it was 8-1 to let it stand. The Southern Poverty Law Center called the Coral Ridge Ministry a hate group because they called homosexuality an abomination, so Amazon blacklisted them from Amazon's charity program. That's classic free speech; SPLC can call them a hate group, lumping them in with KKK and Coral Ridge Ministry can call SPLC woke and Satanic and try and convince Amazon to ignore the SPLC. There's no contested matters of fact here; SPLC is saying that Coral Ridge Ministry is bad for words Coral Ridge is not denying saying, and Amazon is listening to SPLC.
What is Thomas thinking? I can see why Gorsuch, who has talked about overturning libel precedents as well, didn't go in with him on this.
What is Thomas thinking? I can see why Gorsuch, who has talked about overturning libel precedents as well, didn't go in with him on this.
8margd
Laurence Tribe (Harvard Law) tribelaw | 12:15 PM · Nov 14, 2022:
Justice Thomas violated 28 USC 455 (a) & 28 USC 455 (b)(5)(iii) by not recusing himself from this 7-2 decision: His wife Ginny pressed 29 GOP AZ lawmakers to overturn Biden's victory. He knew she had "an interest that could be affected by the outcome."
High court rules against Arizona GOP leader in records fight
AP | 14 Nov 2022
...The high court on Monday rejected GOP state chair Kelli Ward’s request to halt the turnover of records {to Jan 6 committee} while a lawsuit proceeds. The court lifted a temporary order that had been put in place by Justice Elena Kagan that had paused anything from happening while Ward’s emergency request was at the Supreme Court...
...As is common in situations involving emergency requests to the high court, the justices did not explain their reasoning in their three-sentence order. Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Samuel Alito said they would have sided with Ward but also did not elaborate...
https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-donald-trump-arizona-samuel-alito-cl...
Justice Thomas violated 28 USC 455 (a) & 28 USC 455 (b)(5)(iii) by not recusing himself from this 7-2 decision: His wife Ginny pressed 29 GOP AZ lawmakers to overturn Biden's victory. He knew she had "an interest that could be affected by the outcome."
High court rules against Arizona GOP leader in records fight
AP | 14 Nov 2022
...The high court on Monday rejected GOP state chair Kelli Ward’s request to halt the turnover of records {to Jan 6 committee} while a lawsuit proceeds. The court lifted a temporary order that had been put in place by Justice Elena Kagan that had paused anything from happening while Ward’s emergency request was at the Supreme Court...
...As is common in situations involving emergency requests to the high court, the justices did not explain their reasoning in their three-sentence order. Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Samuel Alito said they would have sided with Ward but also did not elaborate...
https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-donald-trump-arizona-samuel-alito-cl...
9margd
Clarence Thomas and the Billionaire
Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski | April 6, 2023
...For more than two decades, Thomas has accepted luxury trips virtually every year from the Dallas businessman without disclosing them, documents and interviews show. A public servant who has a salary of $285,000, he has vacationed on Crow’s superyacht around the globe. He flies on Crow’s Bombardier Global 5000 jet. He has gone with Crow to the Bohemian Grove, the exclusive California all-male retreat, and to Crow’s sprawling ranch in East Texas. And Thomas typically spends about a week every summer at Crow’s private resort in the Adirondacks.
The extent and frequency of Crow’s apparent gifts to Thomas have no known precedent in the modern history of the U.S. Supreme Court.
These trips appeared nowhere on Thomas’ financial disclosures. His failure to report the flights appears to violate a law passed after Watergate that requires justices, judges, members of Congress and federal officials to disclose most gifts, two ethics law experts said. He also should have disclosed his trips on the yacht, these experts said.
...A code of conduct for federal judges below the Supreme Court requires them to avoid even the “appearance of impropriety.” Members of the high court, Chief Justice John Roberts has written, “consult” that code for guidance. The Supreme Court is left almost entirely to police itself.
There are few restrictions on what gifts justices can accept. That’s in contrast to the other branches of government. Members of Congress are generally prohibited from taking gifts worth $50 or more and would need pre-approval from an ethics committee to take many of the trips Thomas has accepted from Crow...
https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-scotus-undisclosed-luxury-tra...
Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski | April 6, 2023
...For more than two decades, Thomas has accepted luxury trips virtually every year from the Dallas businessman without disclosing them, documents and interviews show. A public servant who has a salary of $285,000, he has vacationed on Crow’s superyacht around the globe. He flies on Crow’s Bombardier Global 5000 jet. He has gone with Crow to the Bohemian Grove, the exclusive California all-male retreat, and to Crow’s sprawling ranch in East Texas. And Thomas typically spends about a week every summer at Crow’s private resort in the Adirondacks.
The extent and frequency of Crow’s apparent gifts to Thomas have no known precedent in the modern history of the U.S. Supreme Court.
These trips appeared nowhere on Thomas’ financial disclosures. His failure to report the flights appears to violate a law passed after Watergate that requires justices, judges, members of Congress and federal officials to disclose most gifts, two ethics law experts said. He also should have disclosed his trips on the yacht, these experts said.
...A code of conduct for federal judges below the Supreme Court requires them to avoid even the “appearance of impropriety.” Members of the high court, Chief Justice John Roberts has written, “consult” that code for guidance. The Supreme Court is left almost entirely to police itself.
There are few restrictions on what gifts justices can accept. That’s in contrast to the other branches of government. Members of Congress are generally prohibited from taking gifts worth $50 or more and would need pre-approval from an ethics committee to take many of the trips Thomas has accepted from Crow...
https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-scotus-undisclosed-luxury-tra...
10margd
>9 margd: contd.
Matt Duss @mattduss | 9:59 AM · Apr 6, 2023:
Visiting Scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace @CEIPStatecraft @CarnegieEndow. Former foreign policy advisor for @SenSanders
This is important, as this is decision that effectively defined political corruption out of existence in the US.
Quote Tweet
southpaw @nycsouthpaw | 9:53 AM · Apr 6, 2023:
Justice Clarence Thomas did not recuse himself from McDonnell v. United States (2016)*, which was about whether government officials accepting free stuff from right-wing mega donors is potentially a crime. twitter.com/tvietor08/stat…
* "...in McDonnell v. United States,2 the Supreme Court held that the federal bribery statute’s definition of “official act” does not include “arranging a meeting, contacting another public official, or hosting an event” without the presence of something “more.”..." https://harvardlawreview.org/print/vol-130/mcdonnell-v-united-states/
https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/579/15-474/
Matt Duss @mattduss | 9:59 AM · Apr 6, 2023:
Visiting Scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace @CEIPStatecraft @CarnegieEndow. Former foreign policy advisor for @SenSanders
This is important, as this is decision that effectively defined political corruption out of existence in the US.
Quote Tweet
southpaw @nycsouthpaw | 9:53 AM · Apr 6, 2023:
Justice Clarence Thomas did not recuse himself from McDonnell v. United States (2016)*, which was about whether government officials accepting free stuff from right-wing mega donors is potentially a crime. twitter.com/tvietor08/stat…
* "...in McDonnell v. United States,2 the Supreme Court held that the federal bribery statute’s definition of “official act” does not include “arranging a meeting, contacting another public official, or hosting an event” without the presence of something “more.”..." https://harvardlawreview.org/print/vol-130/mcdonnell-v-united-states/
https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/579/15-474/
11margd
>9 margd: contd.
Clarence Thomas’s Billionaire Benefactor Collects Hitler Artifacts
Harlan Crow also reportedly has a garden full of dictator statues.
Sylvie McNamara | April 7, 2023
https://www.washingtonian.com/2023/04/07/clarence-thomass-billionaire-benefactor...
Clarence Thomas’s Billionaire Benefactor Collects Hitler Artifacts
Harlan Crow also reportedly has a garden full of dictator statues.
Sylvie McNamara | April 7, 2023
https://www.washingtonian.com/2023/04/07/clarence-thomass-billionaire-benefactor...
12margd
MeidasTouch @MeidasTouch | 3:09 PM · Apr 8, 2023
MORE CORRUPTION: Harlan Crow made a $500,000 contribution to Ginni Thomas' Liberty Central, which in turn, paid her $120K a year salary! Clarence Thomas failed to disclose his his wife’s income during this period and the sources of Liberty’s funds were not publicly disclosed.
Text excerpt ( https://twitter.com/MeidasTouch/status/1644779509147922433/photo/1 )
Here is a recent Washington Post piece about the anonymous funds received by Ginni Thomas’ organizations: https://washingtonpost.com/investigations/2023/03/28/ginni-thomas-crowdsourcers-...
Text excerpt ( https://twitter.com/MeidasTouch/status/1644780035054931973/photo/1 )
The 2011 Politico piece exposing Crow’s donation:
Justice Thomas’s wife now lobbyist
Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, wife of Justice Clarence Thomas, has recast herself yet again.
Kenneth P. Vogel, John Bresnahan and Marin Cogan | 02/04/2011
https://www.politico.com/story/2011/02/justice-thomass-wife-now-lobbyist-048812
MORE CORRUPTION: Harlan Crow made a $500,000 contribution to Ginni Thomas' Liberty Central, which in turn, paid her $120K a year salary! Clarence Thomas failed to disclose his his wife’s income during this period and the sources of Liberty’s funds were not publicly disclosed.
Text excerpt ( https://twitter.com/MeidasTouch/status/1644779509147922433/photo/1 )
Here is a recent Washington Post piece about the anonymous funds received by Ginni Thomas’ organizations: https://washingtonpost.com/investigations/2023/03/28/ginni-thomas-crowdsourcers-...
Text excerpt ( https://twitter.com/MeidasTouch/status/1644780035054931973/photo/1 )
The 2011 Politico piece exposing Crow’s donation:
Justice Thomas’s wife now lobbyist
Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, wife of Justice Clarence Thomas, has recast herself yet again.
Kenneth P. Vogel, John Bresnahan and Marin Cogan | 02/04/2011
https://www.politico.com/story/2011/02/justice-thomass-wife-now-lobbyist-048812
13lriley
>12 margd: My guess is that neither Ginni nor Clarence expect at all to be held accountable for anything and expect to go on with their corruption and activism. Clarence could care less about any perception of his crookedness. Also that they will continue to take bribes from Mr. Crow all the while claiming that it's just friends being friends and that Crow gets nothing for all the gifts he bestows.
16margd
Ted Lieu (Congressman) @tedlieu | 1:23 PM · Apr 9, 2023:
Crow sits on the board of AEI, which lobbies against tax hikes on billionaires and writes briefs to Justice Thomas. Crow lavished millions in gifts on Thomas. Is this corrupt? Probably.
Does it have the appearance of corruption? Absolutely.
Justice Thomas needs to resign.
Image ( https://twitter.com/tedlieu/status/1645115110585954306/photo/1 )
Image ( https://twitter.com/tedlieu/status/1645115110585954306/photo/2 )
Quote Tweet
Franklin Leonard @franklinleonard | 1:47 AM · Apr 9, 2023:
@theblcklst founder. Film & TV producer. Politics & football (soccer) person. @vanityfair contrib editor. am_cinematheque & @weare_thegotham board member.
Even if Clarence Thomas wasn’t directly influenced by Harlan Crow (he undoubtedly was), Thomas had to know that being the known recipient of Crow’s generosity certainly implied to a large number of people that he did, which Crow no doubt capitalized on.
He was a prop, at best.
Crow sits on the board of AEI, which lobbies against tax hikes on billionaires and writes briefs to Justice Thomas. Crow lavished millions in gifts on Thomas. Is this corrupt? Probably.
Does it have the appearance of corruption? Absolutely.
Justice Thomas needs to resign.
Image ( https://twitter.com/tedlieu/status/1645115110585954306/photo/1 )
Image ( https://twitter.com/tedlieu/status/1645115110585954306/photo/2 )
Quote Tweet
Franklin Leonard @franklinleonard | 1:47 AM · Apr 9, 2023:
@theblcklst founder. Film & TV producer. Politics & football (soccer) person. @vanityfair contrib editor. am_cinematheque & @weare_thegotham board member.
Even if Clarence Thomas wasn’t directly influenced by Harlan Crow (he undoubtedly was), Thomas had to know that being the known recipient of Crow’s generosity certainly implied to a large number of people that he did, which Crow no doubt capitalized on.
He was a prop, at best.
17aspirit
The three main branches of the United States government is supposed to maintain a system of checks and balances. I think this is an interesting case study on how that's working out in reality.
What is Congress doing in response to the report of Judge Thomas' financial sponsor?
New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is again (after reports of Ginni Thomas' involvement in the January 6 insurrection attempt) calling for Thomas' impeachment. Other Democrats are also pushing for Republicans to pass the Supreme Court Ethics Bill introduced last year.
Rhode Island's' Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D), on the Senate Judiciary Committee, is reportedly calling for an independent investigation that would depend on Chief Justice John Roberts.
Source: https://www.politico.com/minutes/congress/04-6-2023/scrutiny-over-thomas-report/ (strangely reliant on Twitter)
What is the White House's response?
Source: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2023/
The White House is involved in the appointment of every Supreme Court judge. The POTUS who nominated Judge Thomas was George H. W. Bush, in 1991.
What is Congress doing in response to the report of Judge Thomas' financial sponsor?
New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is again (after reports of Ginni Thomas' involvement in the January 6 insurrection attempt) calling for Thomas' impeachment. Other Democrats are also pushing for Republicans to pass the Supreme Court Ethics Bill introduced last year.
Rhode Island's' Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D), on the Senate Judiciary Committee, is reportedly calling for an independent investigation that would depend on Chief Justice John Roberts.
Source: https://www.politico.com/minutes/congress/04-6-2023/scrutiny-over-thomas-report/ (strangely reliant on Twitter)
What is the White House's response?
{Press Question:} Well, there’s a report in ProPublica this morning that talked about Justice Clarence Thomas taking all of these luxury trips from a Republican megadonor, appearing not to disclose those gifts as required by law. So, does the White House believe that this is a violation of ethical standards that a Justice should be held to? And does the President want a more rigorous code of conduct for Supreme Court Justices?
{White House Press Secretary} MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I’m not going to comment from here. There are other bodies of government that should be dealing with this. I’m just not going to comment from here.
Source: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2023/
The White House is involved in the appointment of every Supreme Court judge. The POTUS who nominated Judge Thomas was George H. W. Bush, in 1991.
18margd
Billionaire Harlan Crow Bought Property From Clarence Thomas. The Justice Didn’t Disclose the Deal.
Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan and Alex Mierjeski | April 13, 2023
....In 2014, one of Texas billionaire Harlan Crow’s companies purchased a string of properties on a quiet residential street in Savannah, Georgia. It wasn’t a marquee acquisition for the real estate magnate, just an old single-story home and two vacant lots down the road. What made it noteworthy were the people on the other side of the deal: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his relatives.
The transaction marks the first known instance of money flowing from the Republican megadonor to the Supreme Court justice. The Crow company bought the properties for $133,363 from three co-owners — Thomas, his mother and the family of Thomas’ late brother, according to a state tax document and a deed dated Oct. 15, 2014, filed at the Chatham County courthouse.
The purchase put Crow in an unusual position: He now owned the house where the justice’s elderly mother was living. Soon after the sale was completed, contractors began work on tens of thousands of dollars of improvements on the two-bedroom, one-bathroom home, which looks out onto a patch of orange trees. The renovations included a carport, a repaired roof and a new fence and gates, according to city permit records and blueprints...
...Thomas never disclosed his sale of the Savannah properties. That appears to be a violation of the law...
https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-harlan-crow-real-estate-scotu...
Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan and Alex Mierjeski | April 13, 2023
....In 2014, one of Texas billionaire Harlan Crow’s companies purchased a string of properties on a quiet residential street in Savannah, Georgia. It wasn’t a marquee acquisition for the real estate magnate, just an old single-story home and two vacant lots down the road. What made it noteworthy were the people on the other side of the deal: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his relatives.
The transaction marks the first known instance of money flowing from the Republican megadonor to the Supreme Court justice. The Crow company bought the properties for $133,363 from three co-owners — Thomas, his mother and the family of Thomas’ late brother, according to a state tax document and a deed dated Oct. 15, 2014, filed at the Chatham County courthouse.
The purchase put Crow in an unusual position: He now owned the house where the justice’s elderly mother was living. Soon after the sale was completed, contractors began work on tens of thousands of dollars of improvements on the two-bedroom, one-bathroom home, which looks out onto a patch of orange trees. The renovations included a carport, a repaired roof and a new fence and gates, according to city permit records and blueprints...
...Thomas never disclosed his sale of the Savannah properties. That appears to be a violation of the law...
https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-harlan-crow-real-estate-scotu...
19lriley
>18 margd: for supposedly being one of the nation's tippy toppiest of legal eagles Mr. Thomas seems to have some rather large holes in his game or maybe he like a lot of other high flyers thinks he's above the law that everyone else is required to abide by.
20margd
Has a U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ever Been Impeached?
A lifetime appointment comes with some caveats.
Elizabeth Nix | April 7, 2022
...In 1804, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach Associate Justice Samuel Chase...politically motivated charges of acting in a partisan manner during several trials...However, in 1805 Chase was acquitted by the Senate. He served on the court until his death in 1811.
In 1969, Abe Fortas became the first—and, to date, only—Supreme Court justice to resign under the threat of impeachment. Named to the court by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965, Fortas was forced to step down due to financial improprieties that involved him agreeing to act as a paid consultant to the family foundation of a man under investigation for securities fraud...
In addition to Samuel Chase, 14 federal judges (who are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate) have been impeached over the course of American history, on charges ranging from drunkenness on the bench to accepting bribes. The first impeachment was in 1803 and the most recent was in 2010. Eight of the jurists were convicted by the Senate and removed from office, while three were acquitted and three resigned.
https://www.history.com/news/has-a-u-s-supreme-court-justice-ever-been-impeached
A lifetime appointment comes with some caveats.
Elizabeth Nix | April 7, 2022
...In 1804, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach Associate Justice Samuel Chase...politically motivated charges of acting in a partisan manner during several trials...However, in 1805 Chase was acquitted by the Senate. He served on the court until his death in 1811.
In 1969, Abe Fortas became the first—and, to date, only—Supreme Court justice to resign under the threat of impeachment. Named to the court by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965, Fortas was forced to step down due to financial improprieties that involved him agreeing to act as a paid consultant to the family foundation of a man under investigation for securities fraud...
In addition to Samuel Chase, 14 federal judges (who are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate) have been impeached over the course of American history, on charges ranging from drunkenness on the bench to accepting bribes. The first impeachment was in 1803 and the most recent was in 2010. Eight of the jurists were convicted by the Senate and removed from office, while three were acquitted and three resigned.
https://www.history.com/news/has-a-u-s-supreme-court-justice-ever-been-impeached
212wonderY
Ginni Thomas Vows Not to Let Husband’s Problems Interfere with Her Work on Supreme Court.
https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/ginni-thomas-vows-not-to-let-hus...
https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/ginni-thomas-vows-not-to-let-hus...
22Molly3028
John Roberts, a GOPer, has allowed the Trump era to permanently stain the Supreme Court and his stewardship of this highest court in the land.
232wonderY
Clarence Thomas inspires pizza chain-promo deal that made 'every pie on sale, just like' the Supreme Court Justice following report he accepted vacations from GOP donor
https://www.businessinsider.com/clarence-thomas-inspires-pizza-sale-after-luxury...
A pizza chain in Washington, DC, made Thomas the subject of its latest promotion, Fox reported.
The chain, &pizza, often uses social media to post memes related to politics and popular culture.
https://www.businessinsider.com/clarence-thomas-inspires-pizza-sale-after-luxury...
A pizza chain in Washington, DC, made Thomas the subject of its latest promotion, Fox reported.
The chain, &pizza, often uses social media to post memes related to politics and popular culture.
24margd
Clarence Thomas didn't recuse himself from a 2004 appeal tied to Harlan Crow's family business, per Bloomberg
Lauren Steussy | Apr 24, 2023
...Thomas previously told Bloomberg that it was OK for him to accept gifts from Harlan Crow because the GOP mega-donor did not have "business before the court."
But the 2004 appeal ties the Crow family name to a case that did come before the Supreme Court: In January 2005, the court denied the appeal petition, a $25 million copyright claim brought by an architecture firm against Trammell Crow Residential Co., a development company that's part of the real estate empire built by Crow's father. The Supreme Court's decision ultimately benefitted Trammell Crow Residential.
https://www.businessinsider.com/clarence-thomas-didnt-recuse-case-involving-harl...
_____________________________________________
Mark Joseph Stern (Slate) @mjs_DC | 9:23 AM · Apr 25, 2023:
In his disclosures, Gorsuch told us who gifted him a fishing rod, a watercolor painting, and cowboy boots. But the identity of the person who bought his $1.8 million property? Gorsuch kept that one to himself. Wonder why.
For nearly two years beginning in 2015, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch sought a buyer for a 40-acre tract of property he co-owned in rural Granby, Colo. Nine days after he was confirmed by the Senate for a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court, the then-circuit court judge got one: The chief executive of Greenberg Traurig, one of the nation’s biggest law firms with a robust practice before the high court. Gorsuch owned the property with two other individuals. (https://twitter.com/mjs_DC/status/1650853028625371138/photo/1)
Law firm head bought Gorsuch-owned property
The Supreme Court justice did not report the identity of the purchaser, whose firm has had numerous cases before the court.
https://politico.com/news/2023/04/25/neil-gorsuch-colorado-property-sale-0009357...
_____________________________________________
Roberts invited to testify at Senate hearing on Supreme Court ethics
Dustin Jones | April 20, 2023
https://www.npr.org/2023/04/20/1171141373/supreme-court-justice-roberts-testify-...
Senate Judiciary letter invitation to Chief Justice ( https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/chair_durbin_invitation_to_chief_... )
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chief Justice John Roberts punts on request to investigate Clarence Thomas
Ariane de Vogue | April 22, 2023
...Chief Justice John Roberts has declined to directly respond to a congressional request to investigate Justice Clarence Thomas’ alleged ethical lapses.
Roberts instead referred the request from Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin to the Judicial Conference, which serves as the policy-making body of the federal courts...
https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/22/politics/chief-justice-john-roberts-clarence-thom...
Lauren Steussy | Apr 24, 2023
...Thomas previously told Bloomberg that it was OK for him to accept gifts from Harlan Crow because the GOP mega-donor did not have "business before the court."
But the 2004 appeal ties the Crow family name to a case that did come before the Supreme Court: In January 2005, the court denied the appeal petition, a $25 million copyright claim brought by an architecture firm against Trammell Crow Residential Co., a development company that's part of the real estate empire built by Crow's father. The Supreme Court's decision ultimately benefitted Trammell Crow Residential.
https://www.businessinsider.com/clarence-thomas-didnt-recuse-case-involving-harl...
_____________________________________________
Mark Joseph Stern (Slate) @mjs_DC | 9:23 AM · Apr 25, 2023:
In his disclosures, Gorsuch told us who gifted him a fishing rod, a watercolor painting, and cowboy boots. But the identity of the person who bought his $1.8 million property? Gorsuch kept that one to himself. Wonder why.
For nearly two years beginning in 2015, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch sought a buyer for a 40-acre tract of property he co-owned in rural Granby, Colo. Nine days after he was confirmed by the Senate for a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court, the then-circuit court judge got one: The chief executive of Greenberg Traurig, one of the nation’s biggest law firms with a robust practice before the high court. Gorsuch owned the property with two other individuals. (https://twitter.com/mjs_DC/status/1650853028625371138/photo/1)
Law firm head bought Gorsuch-owned property
The Supreme Court justice did not report the identity of the purchaser, whose firm has had numerous cases before the court.
https://politico.com/news/2023/04/25/neil-gorsuch-colorado-property-sale-0009357...
_____________________________________________
Roberts invited to testify at Senate hearing on Supreme Court ethics
Dustin Jones | April 20, 2023
https://www.npr.org/2023/04/20/1171141373/supreme-court-justice-roberts-testify-...
Senate Judiciary letter invitation to Chief Justice ( https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/chair_durbin_invitation_to_chief_... )
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chief Justice John Roberts punts on request to investigate Clarence Thomas
Ariane de Vogue | April 22, 2023
...Chief Justice John Roberts has declined to directly respond to a congressional request to investigate Justice Clarence Thomas’ alleged ethical lapses.
Roberts instead referred the request from Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin to the Judicial Conference, which serves as the policy-making body of the federal courts...
https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/22/politics/chief-justice-john-roberts-clarence-thom...
25margd
All Rs? I read somewhere that Kavanaugh's parents paid his debts, but still wonder if someone gave THEM $???
Kaivan Shroff @KaivanShroff | 11:10 AM · Apr 25, 2023:
Democratic commentator, attorney & non-profit advisor. JD @Harvard_Law, MPP @Kennedy_School, MBA @YaleSOM, Political Science @BrownUniversity.
Thomas gets trips/property deal from Crow
Gorsuch hides property sale to firm CEO w/ cases before SCOTUS
Roberts’s wife gets $$ from firms arguing before him
Barrett’s husband opens office in DC, hides clients
Kavanaugh debts vanish
Alito leaks Hobby Lobby decision to donors
Kaivan Shroff @KaivanShroff | 11:10 AM · Apr 25, 2023:
Democratic commentator, attorney & non-profit advisor. JD @Harvard_Law, MPP @Kennedy_School, MBA @YaleSOM, Political Science @BrownUniversity.
Thomas gets trips/property deal from Crow
Gorsuch hides property sale to firm CEO w/ cases before SCOTUS
Roberts’s wife gets $$ from firms arguing before him
Barrett’s husband opens office in DC, hides clients
Kavanaugh debts vanish
Alito leaks Hobby Lobby decision to donors
26margd
Chief Justice's OWN pickle: having (lawyers) beholden to wife for their jobs, plus making money from elite law firms...
Jane Roberts, who is married to Chief Justice John Roberts, made $10.3 million in commissions {2007-014} from elite law firms, whistleblower documents show
Mattathias Schwartz | Apr 28, 2023
...Jane Roberts was paid more than $10 million by a host of elite law firms, a whistleblower alleges.
At least one of those firms argued a case before Chief Justice Roberts after paying his wife hundreds of thousands of dollars.
... in commissions as a headhunter for top-tier law firms between 2007 and 2014...
https://www.businessinsider.com/jane-roberts-chief-justice-wife-10-million-commi...
Jane Roberts, who is married to Chief Justice John Roberts, made $10.3 million in commissions {2007-014} from elite law firms, whistleblower documents show
Mattathias Schwartz | Apr 28, 2023
...Jane Roberts was paid more than $10 million by a host of elite law firms, a whistleblower alleges.
At least one of those firms argued a case before Chief Justice Roberts after paying his wife hundreds of thousands of dollars.
... in commissions as a headhunter for top-tier law firms between 2007 and 2014...
https://www.businessinsider.com/jane-roberts-chief-justice-wife-10-million-commi...
27margd
Los Angeles Magazine @LAmag
https://twitter.com/LAmag/status/1651985216544833540
BREAKING: Senate Investigation into Brett Kavanaugh Assault Claims Contained Serious Omissions, according to the Guardian. /1
A 2018 Senate investigation found "no evidence" of sexual assault claims against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. New information from the Guardian reveals serious omissions in the investigation, raising questions about efforts to discredit accusers. /2
The report included an unfounded claim by attorney Joseph C Smith Jr suggesting Kavanaugh's accuser, Deborah Ramirez, was mistaken. Smith, a Federalist Society member, believed a different Yale student was responsible for the alleged act. /3
The student named by Smith, Jack Maxey, wasn't at Yale during the alleged incident. Republican investigators never contacted him. Maxey denies the accusation and says he was a high school senior at the time. /4
A new documentary contains a recording of Max Stier, another Yale graduate, describing a separate alleged incident involving Kavanaugh. Stier reportedly wanted to tell the FBI anonymously but wasn't interviewed by Republican investigators. /5
The Senate committee's final report claimed there was "no verifiable evidence to support" Ramirez's claim. New revelations raise questions about the integrity of the investigation and the exclusion of evidence supporting the alleged victim's claims. /6
The FBI's handling of the Kavanaugh investigation, led by Yale graduate Christopher Wray, has been criticized as a "sham" by Democrats. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse's office plans to release a report on the FBI's handling of the case later this year. /7
Read the full story here: ... /8
Revealed: Senate investigation into Brett Kavanaugh assault claims contained serious omissions
The 2018 investigation into the then supreme court nominee claimed there was ‘no evidence’ behind claims of sexual assault
Stephanie Kirchgaessner | 28 Apr 2023
...(Rhode Island senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a member of the Senate judiciary committee)... is expected to release a report into the FBI’s handling of the Kavanaugh investigation by the end of this year.
https://theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/28/brett-kavanaugh-investigation-omissi...
---------------------------------------------------
Andrew Wortman @AmoneyResists
Democratic Activist. Gay AF.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1652204510150811650.html
So let’s do a quick recap of the #IniquitousSix that currently hold the majority on SCOTUS to really get a clear picture of just how big of a dumpster-fire of corruption and illegitimacy the highest court of the nation has become (Thread)
https://twitter.com/LAmag/status/1651985216544833540
BREAKING: Senate Investigation into Brett Kavanaugh Assault Claims Contained Serious Omissions, according to the Guardian. /1
A 2018 Senate investigation found "no evidence" of sexual assault claims against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. New information from the Guardian reveals serious omissions in the investigation, raising questions about efforts to discredit accusers. /2
The report included an unfounded claim by attorney Joseph C Smith Jr suggesting Kavanaugh's accuser, Deborah Ramirez, was mistaken. Smith, a Federalist Society member, believed a different Yale student was responsible for the alleged act. /3
The student named by Smith, Jack Maxey, wasn't at Yale during the alleged incident. Republican investigators never contacted him. Maxey denies the accusation and says he was a high school senior at the time. /4
A new documentary contains a recording of Max Stier, another Yale graduate, describing a separate alleged incident involving Kavanaugh. Stier reportedly wanted to tell the FBI anonymously but wasn't interviewed by Republican investigators. /5
The Senate committee's final report claimed there was "no verifiable evidence to support" Ramirez's claim. New revelations raise questions about the integrity of the investigation and the exclusion of evidence supporting the alleged victim's claims. /6
The FBI's handling of the Kavanaugh investigation, led by Yale graduate Christopher Wray, has been criticized as a "sham" by Democrats. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse's office plans to release a report on the FBI's handling of the case later this year. /7
Read the full story here: ... /8
Revealed: Senate investigation into Brett Kavanaugh assault claims contained serious omissions
The 2018 investigation into the then supreme court nominee claimed there was ‘no evidence’ behind claims of sexual assault
Stephanie Kirchgaessner | 28 Apr 2023
...(Rhode Island senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a member of the Senate judiciary committee)... is expected to release a report into the FBI’s handling of the Kavanaugh investigation by the end of this year.
https://theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/28/brett-kavanaugh-investigation-omissi...
---------------------------------------------------
Andrew Wortman @AmoneyResists
Democratic Activist. Gay AF.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1652204510150811650.html
So let’s do a quick recap of the #IniquitousSix that currently hold the majority on SCOTUS to really get a clear picture of just how big of a dumpster-fire of corruption and illegitimacy the highest court of the nation has become (Thread)
28margd
Andrew Wortman @AmoneyResists | 7:24 PM · Mar 15, 2022:
Democratic Activist. Gay AF.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1503874826997575680.html
With comments: https://twitter.com/AmoneyResists/status/1503874826997575680
Let’s talk about how Ginni Thomas—Clarence Thomas’ wife—played a critical role in trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election to keep Trump in power, a plot that involved her husband, and why he needs to resign from the Supreme Court or be removed immediately.
(Thread)
Democratic Activist. Gay AF.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1503874826997575680.html
With comments: https://twitter.com/AmoneyResists/status/1503874826997575680
Let’s talk about how Ginni Thomas—Clarence Thomas’ wife—played a critical role in trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election to keep Trump in power, a plot that involved her husband, and why he needs to resign from the Supreme Court or be removed immediately.
(Thread)
29margd
LIVE: https://twitter.com/nowthisnews/status/1653400761798107138
NowThis @nowthisnews | 10:07 AM · May 2, 2023:
LIVE NOW: The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing Tuesday focused on ‘Supreme Court Ethics Reform.’ This comes as multiple scandals have rocked the U.S.’s highest court in recent weeks.
NowThis @nowthisnews
Senate Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing on Supreme Court Ethics Reform
NowThis @nowthisnews | 10:07 AM · May 2, 2023:
LIVE NOW: The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing Tuesday focused on ‘Supreme Court Ethics Reform.’ This comes as multiple scandals have rocked the U.S.’s highest court in recent weeks.
NowThis @nowthisnews
Senate Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing on Supreme Court Ethics Reform
30margd
Clarence Thomas Had a Child in Private School. Harlan Crow Paid the Tuition.
Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski | May 4, 2023
In 2008, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas decided to send his teenage grandnephew to Hidden Lake Academy, a private boarding school in the foothills of northern Georgia. The boy, Mark Martin, was far from home. For the previous decade, he had lived with the justice and his wife in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Thomas had taken legal custody of Martin when he was 6 years old and had recently told an interviewer he was “raising him as a son.”
Tuition at the boarding school ran more than $6,000 a month. But Thomas did not cover the bill. A bank statement for the school from July 2009, buried in unrelated court filings, shows the source of Martin’s tuition payment for that month: the company of billionaire real estate magnate Harlan Crow.
The payments extended beyond that month, according to Christopher Grimwood, a former administrator at the school. Crow paid Martin’s tuition the entire time he was a student there, which was about a year, Grimwood told ProPublica.
...Before and after his time at Hidden Lake, Martin attended a second boarding school, Randolph-Macon Academy in Virginia. “Harlan said he was paying for the tuition at Randolph-Macon Academy as well,” Grimwood said, recalling a conversation he had with Crow during a visit to the billionaire’s Adirondacks estate.
...If he paid for all four years at the two schools, the price tag could have exceeded $150,000, according to public records of tuition rates at the schools.
...“This is way outside the norm. This is way in excess of anything I’ve seen,” said Richard Painter, former chief White House ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush, referring to the cascade of {Crowe to Thomas} gifts over the years...
https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-harlan-crow-private-school-tu...
Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski | May 4, 2023
In 2008, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas decided to send his teenage grandnephew to Hidden Lake Academy, a private boarding school in the foothills of northern Georgia. The boy, Mark Martin, was far from home. For the previous decade, he had lived with the justice and his wife in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Thomas had taken legal custody of Martin when he was 6 years old and had recently told an interviewer he was “raising him as a son.”
Tuition at the boarding school ran more than $6,000 a month. But Thomas did not cover the bill. A bank statement for the school from July 2009, buried in unrelated court filings, shows the source of Martin’s tuition payment for that month: the company of billionaire real estate magnate Harlan Crow.
The payments extended beyond that month, according to Christopher Grimwood, a former administrator at the school. Crow paid Martin’s tuition the entire time he was a student there, which was about a year, Grimwood told ProPublica.
...Before and after his time at Hidden Lake, Martin attended a second boarding school, Randolph-Macon Academy in Virginia. “Harlan said he was paying for the tuition at Randolph-Macon Academy as well,” Grimwood said, recalling a conversation he had with Crow during a visit to the billionaire’s Adirondacks estate.
...If he paid for all four years at the two schools, the price tag could have exceeded $150,000, according to public records of tuition rates at the schools.
...“This is way outside the norm. This is way in excess of anything I’ve seen,” said Richard Painter, former chief White House ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush, referring to the cascade of {Crowe to Thomas} gifts over the years...
https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-harlan-crow-private-school-tu...
312wonderY
>30 margd: Thomas is frankly “bought and paid for.”
32margd
Can this be true?? Thomas corruption (via Ginni $$) affected his vote gutting the Voting Rights Act?? Even the appearance of such corruption is bad enough, never mind reality!
Andrew Wortman @AmoneyResists | 2:21 AM · May 5, 2023
Democratic Activist. Gay AF...
https://twitter.com/AmoneyResists/status/1654373407503314944
HOLY FUCK: This case was Shelby County v. Holder (2013), the one that infamously gutted huge portions of the Voting Rights Act, ending the requirement for any new voting restriction bills introduced in any state to be “pre-cleared” with the Department of Justice. {In January 2012, Leo instructed Kellyanne Conway to bill a nonprofit group called the Judicial Education Project and use that money to pay Ginni. The same year, the Judicial Education Project filed a brief to the Supreme Court in a landmark voting rights case. 7:46 PM · May 4, 2023}
I explain what this case did to voting rights in this thread. {In Shelby County v. Holder (2013), Roberts dismantled much of the Voting Rights Act, and he’s joined subsequent decisions making it substantially harder for voting rights plaintiffs to prove they were victims of discrimination. Sep 11, 2022}
Here’s a link to the part that zeroes in on it further: {In Shelby County v. Holder (2013)—the Roberts Court case that killed the preclearance requirement—Scalia claimed that the Voting Rights Act was a “perpetuation of racial entitlement,” and “whenever a society adopts entitlements, it is very difficult to get out of them.” Sep 11, 2022}
Shelby County v. Holder (2013)—which killed preclearance requirements for racist voting laws—was decided by A SINGLE VOTE in a 5-4 decision. We now know that Leonard Leo BOUGHT Clarence Thomas’ vote in this case, without which the majority would have voted AGAINST it. My god.
I can’t even imagine how much damage this one decision has inflicted upon this country. Without it, we likely wouldn’t have had Trump in office and in the position to appoint HALF of the illegitimate six that struck down Roe. We certainly wouldn’t have a GOP House majority again.
Andrew Wortman @AmoneyResists | 2:21 AM · May 5, 2023
Democratic Activist. Gay AF...
https://twitter.com/AmoneyResists/status/1654373407503314944
HOLY FUCK: This case was Shelby County v. Holder (2013), the one that infamously gutted huge portions of the Voting Rights Act, ending the requirement for any new voting restriction bills introduced in any state to be “pre-cleared” with the Department of Justice. {In January 2012, Leo instructed Kellyanne Conway to bill a nonprofit group called the Judicial Education Project and use that money to pay Ginni. The same year, the Judicial Education Project filed a brief to the Supreme Court in a landmark voting rights case. 7:46 PM · May 4, 2023}
I explain what this case did to voting rights in this thread. {In Shelby County v. Holder (2013), Roberts dismantled much of the Voting Rights Act, and he’s joined subsequent decisions making it substantially harder for voting rights plaintiffs to prove they were victims of discrimination. Sep 11, 2022}
Here’s a link to the part that zeroes in on it further: {In Shelby County v. Holder (2013)—the Roberts Court case that killed the preclearance requirement—Scalia claimed that the Voting Rights Act was a “perpetuation of racial entitlement,” and “whenever a society adopts entitlements, it is very difficult to get out of them.” Sep 11, 2022}
Shelby County v. Holder (2013)—which killed preclearance requirements for racist voting laws—was decided by A SINGLE VOTE in a 5-4 decision. We now know that Leonard Leo BOUGHT Clarence Thomas’ vote in this case, without which the majority would have voted AGAINST it. My god.
I can’t even imagine how much damage this one decision has inflicted upon this country. Without it, we likely wouldn’t have had Trump in office and in the position to appoint HALF of the illegitimate six that struck down Roe. We certainly wouldn’t have a GOP House majority again.
33margd
>32 margd: contd.
Clarence Thomas under scrutiny after report of activist’s payments to his wife
Chris Stein | Fri 5 May 2023
...activist Leonard Leo paid Clarence Thomas’s wife, Ginni Thomas, via the GOP pollster Kellyanne Conway. Citing documents it had obtained, the Post said that Leo told Conway to bill one of his non-profits and send the funds to Thomas, at one point mentioning that paperwork associated with the transaction should have “no mention of Ginni, of course”.
...Leo’s Judicial Education Project has in about 13 instances submitted to the supreme court amicus briefs, which outside groups use to share insights with the justices. One of the cases he weighed in on was Shelby county v Holder, a challenge to a federal civil rights law in which the conservative bloc struck down a formula governing which states had to seek justice department approval before changing their voting laws.
Thomas was in the majority on that decision, issuing a concurring opinion that aligned both with his previous writings on the topic, and with the reasoning in the Judicial Education Project’s brief...
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2023/may/05/clarence-thomas-kellyanne-conway-leo...
Clarence Thomas under scrutiny after report of activist’s payments to his wife
Chris Stein | Fri 5 May 2023
...activist Leonard Leo paid Clarence Thomas’s wife, Ginni Thomas, via the GOP pollster Kellyanne Conway. Citing documents it had obtained, the Post said that Leo told Conway to bill one of his non-profits and send the funds to Thomas, at one point mentioning that paperwork associated with the transaction should have “no mention of Ginni, of course”.
...Leo’s Judicial Education Project has in about 13 instances submitted to the supreme court amicus briefs, which outside groups use to share insights with the justices. One of the cases he weighed in on was Shelby county v Holder, a challenge to a federal civil rights law in which the conservative bloc struck down a formula governing which states had to seek justice department approval before changing their voting laws.
Thomas was in the majority on that decision, issuing a concurring opinion that aligned both with his previous writings on the topic, and with the reasoning in the Judicial Education Project’s brief...
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2023/may/05/clarence-thomas-kellyanne-conway-leo...
34margd
Lawyers with supreme court business paid Clarence Thomas aide via Venmo
Payments to Rajan Vasisht, an aide from 2019-21, underscore ties between the justice and lawyers who argue cases in front of him
Stephanie Kirchgaessner | 12 Jul 2023
...The lawyers who made the Venmo transactions were: Patrick Strawbridge, a partner at Consovoy McCarthy who recently successfully argued that affirmative action violated the US constitution; Kate Todd, who served as White House deputy counsel under Donald Trump at the time of the payment and is now a managing party of Ellis George Cipollone’s law office; Elbert Lin, the former solicitor general of West Virginia who played a key role in a supreme court case that limited the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions; and Brian Schmalzbach, a partner at McGuire Woods who has argued multiple cases before the supreme court.
Other lawyers who made payments include Manuel Valle, a graduate of Hillsdale College and the University of Chicago Law School who clerked for Thomas last year and is currently working as a managing associate at Sidley, and Liam Hardy, who was working at the Department of Justice’s office of legal counsel at the time the payment was made and now serves as a appeals court judge for the armed forces.
Will Consovoy, who died earlier this year, also made a payment. Consovoy clerked for Thomas during the 2008-09 term and was considered a rising star in conservative legal circles. After his death, the New York Times reported that Consovoy had come away from his time working for Thomas “with the conviction that the court was poised to tilt further to the right – and that constitutional rulings that had once been considered out of reach by conservatives, on issues like voting rights, abortion and affirmative action, would suddenly be within grasp”...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/12/clarence-thomas-aide-venmo-payme...
_______________________________________
ETA:
George Conway @gtconway3d | 1:07 PM · Jul 12, 2023
Yeah. This is complete nonsense. This is the sort of thing former law clerks of judges of all stripes do in organizing social gatherings like these. And I say this as someone who has no problem questioning Justice Thomas’s conduct in the matter involving his mother’s house.
Quote Tweet
Ed Whelan @EdWhelanEPPC · 3h
Hilarious way to misframe that former *law clerks* to Thomas covered share of expenses of Christmas party. Just wait until reporter learns about clerk reunions.
Lawyers with supreme court business paid Clarence Thomas aide via Venmo https://theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/12/clarence-thomas-aide-venmo-payments-...
Payments to Rajan Vasisht, an aide from 2019-21, underscore ties between the justice and lawyers who argue cases in front of him
Stephanie Kirchgaessner | 12 Jul 2023
...The lawyers who made the Venmo transactions were: Patrick Strawbridge, a partner at Consovoy McCarthy who recently successfully argued that affirmative action violated the US constitution; Kate Todd, who served as White House deputy counsel under Donald Trump at the time of the payment and is now a managing party of Ellis George Cipollone’s law office; Elbert Lin, the former solicitor general of West Virginia who played a key role in a supreme court case that limited the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions; and Brian Schmalzbach, a partner at McGuire Woods who has argued multiple cases before the supreme court.
Other lawyers who made payments include Manuel Valle, a graduate of Hillsdale College and the University of Chicago Law School who clerked for Thomas last year and is currently working as a managing associate at Sidley, and Liam Hardy, who was working at the Department of Justice’s office of legal counsel at the time the payment was made and now serves as a appeals court judge for the armed forces.
Will Consovoy, who died earlier this year, also made a payment. Consovoy clerked for Thomas during the 2008-09 term and was considered a rising star in conservative legal circles. After his death, the New York Times reported that Consovoy had come away from his time working for Thomas “with the conviction that the court was poised to tilt further to the right – and that constitutional rulings that had once been considered out of reach by conservatives, on issues like voting rights, abortion and affirmative action, would suddenly be within grasp”...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/12/clarence-thomas-aide-venmo-payme...
_______________________________________
ETA:
George Conway @gtconway3d | 1:07 PM · Jul 12, 2023
Yeah. This is complete nonsense. This is the sort of thing former law clerks of judges of all stripes do in organizing social gatherings like these. And I say this as someone who has no problem questioning Justice Thomas’s conduct in the matter involving his mother’s house.
Quote Tweet
Ed Whelan @EdWhelanEPPC · 3h
Hilarious way to misframe that former *law clerks* to Thomas covered share of expenses of Christmas party. Just wait until reporter learns about clerk reunions.
Lawyers with supreme court business paid Clarence Thomas aide via Venmo https://theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/12/clarence-thomas-aide-venmo-payments-...
352wonderY
Healthcare exec who helped Clarence Thomas buy his $267K RV clams up about financial arrangement
https://www.rawstory.com/clarence-thomas-2662797963/
****
This is the RV he parks at Walmart?
https://www.rawstory.com/clarence-thomas-2662797963/
****
This is the RV he parks at Walmart?
362wonderY
Clarence Thomas’ 38 Vacations: The Other Billionaires Who Have Treated the Supreme Court Justice to Luxury Travel
https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-other-billionaires-sokol-huiz...
At least 38 destination vacations, including a previously unreported voyage on a yacht around the Bahamas; 26 private jet flights, plus an additional eight by helicopter; a dozen VIP passes to professional and college sporting events, typically perched in the skybox; two stays at luxury resorts in Florida and Jamaica; and one standing invitation to an uber-exclusive golf club overlooking the Atlantic coast.
…
“In my career I don’t remember ever seeing this degree of largesse given to anybody,” said Jeremy Fogel, a former federal judge who served for years on the judicial committee that reviews judges’ financial disclosures. “I think it’s unprecedented.”
https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-other-billionaires-sokol-huiz...
At least 38 destination vacations, including a previously unreported voyage on a yacht around the Bahamas; 26 private jet flights, plus an additional eight by helicopter; a dozen VIP passes to professional and college sporting events, typically perched in the skybox; two stays at luxury resorts in Florida and Jamaica; and one standing invitation to an uber-exclusive golf club overlooking the Atlantic coast.
…
“In my career I don’t remember ever seeing this degree of largesse given to anybody,” said Jeremy Fogel, a former federal judge who served for years on the judicial committee that reviews judges’ financial disclosures. “I think it’s unprecedented.”
37margd
What Ginni Thomas and Leonard Leo wrought: How a justice’s wife and a key activist started a movement
Heidi Przybyla | 09/10/2023
Thanks to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling, a trove of so-called “dark money” was about to be unleashed. Two activists prepared to seize the moment...
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/09/10/ginni-thomas-leonard-leo-citizens-unite...
Heidi Przybyla | 09/10/2023
Thanks to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling, a trove of so-called “dark money” was about to be unleashed. Two activists prepared to seize the moment...
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/09/10/ginni-thomas-leonard-leo-citizens-unite...
38lriley
>37 margd: Much of the Republican Party's real agenda is hidden behind the scenes and it absolutely favors billionaires and other elites. A lot of it would probably not go down the hatch well with the conservative base of their party if it were out in the open. Grifters like MTG, Jordan or Gaetz are kind of important to that party pretty much for pushing the outrage buttons of that base while really not talking to that base about anything that would substantially improve their lives. They just keep them riled up and the anger they push becomes for so many like an addiction.
39margd
Clarence Thomas Secretly Participated in Koch Network Donor Events
Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski | Sept. 22 2023
Thomas has attended at least two Koch donor summits, putting him in the extraordinary position of having helped a political network that has brought multiple cases before the Supreme Court...The justice was brought in to speak...in the hopes that such access would encourage donors to continue giving.
...The code of conduct for the federal judiciary lays out rules designed to preserve judges’ impartiality and independence, which it calls “indispensable to justice in our society.” The code specifically prohibits both political activity and participation in fundraising. Judges are advised, for instance, not to “associate themselves” with any group “publicly identified with controversial legal, social, or political positions.”
But the code of conduct only applies to the lower courts. At the Supreme Court, justices decide what’s appropriate for themselves...
https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-secretly-attended-koch-brothe...
Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski | Sept. 22 2023
Thomas has attended at least two Koch donor summits, putting him in the extraordinary position of having helped a political network that has brought multiple cases before the Supreme Court...The justice was brought in to speak...in the hopes that such access would encourage donors to continue giving.
...The code of conduct for the federal judiciary lays out rules designed to preserve judges’ impartiality and independence, which it calls “indispensable to justice in our society.” The code specifically prohibits both political activity and participation in fundraising. Judges are advised, for instance, not to “associate themselves” with any group “publicly identified with controversial legal, social, or political positions.”
But the code of conduct only applies to the lower courts. At the Supreme Court, justices decide what’s appropriate for themselves...
https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-secretly-attended-koch-brothe...
40margd
>39 margd: contd.
Jay Willis @jaywillis | 11:27 AM · Sep 22, 2023:
writer, editor, ...@gqmagazine & @theappeal
Sorry am I clocking correctly here that one of the Koch events Clarence Thomas secretly attended happened to be one where they rolled out a new campaign to promote stacking the bench with conservatives, and put a Ginni Thomas lackey in charge of it
https://propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-secretly-attended-koch-brothers-d...
Text excerpts
https://twitter.com/jaywillis/status/1705242311607931197/photo/1
https://twitter.com/jaywillis/status/1705242311607931197/photo/2
Jay Willis @jaywillis | 11:27 AM · Sep 22, 2023:
writer, editor, ...@gqmagazine & @theappeal
Sorry am I clocking correctly here that one of the Koch events Clarence Thomas secretly attended happened to be one where they rolled out a new campaign to promote stacking the bench with conservatives, and put a Ginni Thomas lackey in charge of it
https://propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-secretly-attended-koch-brothers-d...
Text excerpts
https://twitter.com/jaywillis/status/1705242311607931197/photo/1
https://twitter.com/jaywillis/status/1705242311607931197/photo/2
41margd
Jo Becker (NYT) @Jo_Becker | 2:29 PM · Oct 25, 2023:
SCOOP: Justice Clarence Thomas’s luxury RV loan was forgiven, Senate inquiry finds. The Justice failed to repay much—and perhaps, all, of a $267,230 loan given to him by a wealthy friend.
The loan, from a wealthy friend, was for a luxury motor coach that has become a key part of Justice Clarence Thomas’s public persona. “60 Minutes” interviewed him behind the wheel of the vehicle.
Justice Thomas’s R.V. Loan Was Forgiven, Senate Inquiry Finds
The justice failed to repay much, perhaps all, of the $267,230 loan. His benefactor wiped the slate clean, with ethical and potential tax consequences.
Jo Becker | 25 Oct 2023
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/25/us/politics/clarence-thomas-rv-loan-senate-in...
SCOOP: Justice Clarence Thomas’s luxury RV loan was forgiven, Senate inquiry finds. The Justice failed to repay much—and perhaps, all, of a $267,230 loan given to him by a wealthy friend.
The loan, from a wealthy friend, was for a luxury motor coach that has become a key part of Justice Clarence Thomas’s public persona. “60 Minutes” interviewed him behind the wheel of the vehicle.
Justice Thomas’s R.V. Loan Was Forgiven, Senate Inquiry Finds
The justice failed to repay much, perhaps all, of the $267,230 loan. His benefactor wiped the slate clean, with ethical and potential tax consequences.
Jo Becker | 25 Oct 2023
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/25/us/politics/clarence-thomas-rv-loan-senate-in...
42kiparsky
>41 margd: Is there any reason to think that Thomas' record is not irretrievably befouled by this news? Surely any decision on which he cast a deciding vote or wrote the leading opinion is now completely up for grabs. An honest court would of course vacate all of those decisions without further question, but this court is clearly not too concerned with legitimacy.
43margd
>42 kiparsky: Any chance we'll see ethics reform legislation any time soon? I suspect Ds might want scandal as election issue?
Chuck Schumer Calls for Supreme Court Ethics Reform
Wall Street Journal | July 20, 2023
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) called for legislation on the first-ever code of conduct for the U.S. Supreme Court. “Americans’ trust in the Supreme Court is understandably shaken,” he said.
1:10 ( https://www.wsj.com/video/chuck-schumer-calls-for-supreme-court-ethics-reform/28... )
Chuck Schumer Calls for Supreme Court Ethics Reform
Wall Street Journal | July 20, 2023
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) called for legislation on the first-ever code of conduct for the U.S. Supreme Court. “Americans’ trust in the Supreme Court is understandably shaken,” he said.
1:10 ( https://www.wsj.com/video/chuck-schumer-calls-for-supreme-court-ethics-reform/28... )
44kiparsky
>43 margd: He's calling for Supreme Court ethics reform - me, I'd be satisfied with some Supreme Court ethics, to start with.
45margd
A “Delicate Matter”: Clarence Thomas’ Private Complaints About Money Sparked Fears He Would Resign
Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan, Alex Mierjeski and Brett Murphy | Dec 18, 2023
"...Congress should give Supreme Court justices a pay raise, Thomas told {Congressman}. If lawmakers didn’t act, “one or more justices will leave soon” — maybe in the next year.
At the time, Thomas’ salary was $173,600, equivalent to over $300,000 today. But he was one of the least wealthy members of the court, and on multiple occasions in that period, he pushed for ways to make more money. In other private conversations, Thomas repeatedly talked about removing a ban on justices giving paid speeches.
Thomas’ efforts...includ(ed) a confidential memo to Chief Justice William Rehnquist from a top judiciary official seeking guidance on what he termed a “delicate matter.”
...Congress never lifted the ban on speaking fees or gave the justices a major raise. But in the years that followed, as ProPublica has reported, Thomas accepted a stream of gifts from friends and acquaintances that appears to be unparalleled in the modern history of the Supreme Court. Some defrayed living expenses large and small — private school tuition, vehicle batteries, tires. Other gifts from a coterie of ultrarich men supplemented his lifestyle, such as free international vacations on the private jet and superyacht of Dallas real estate billionaire Harlan Crow.
Precisely what led so many people to offer Thomas money and other gifts remains an open question. There’s no evidence the justice ever raised the specter of resigning with Crow or his other wealthy benefactors.
George Priest, a Yale Law School professor who has vacationed with Thomas and Crow, told ProPublica he believes Crow’s generosity was not intended to influence Thomas’ views but rather to make his life more comfortable. “He views Thomas as a Supreme Court justice as having a limited salary,” Priest said. “So he provides benefits for him.”...
...There’s an often-criticized dynamic surrounding most important jobs in the federal government: The posts pay far less than comparable jobs in the private sector, but officials can cash in once they leave. Ex-regulators sell advice to the regulated. Generals retire to join military contractors. Former senators get jobs lobbying Congress.
But there is no revolving-door payday waiting on the other side of a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court...
https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-money-complaints-sparked-resi...
Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan, Alex Mierjeski and Brett Murphy | Dec 18, 2023
"...Congress should give Supreme Court justices a pay raise, Thomas told {Congressman}. If lawmakers didn’t act, “one or more justices will leave soon” — maybe in the next year.
At the time, Thomas’ salary was $173,600, equivalent to over $300,000 today. But he was one of the least wealthy members of the court, and on multiple occasions in that period, he pushed for ways to make more money. In other private conversations, Thomas repeatedly talked about removing a ban on justices giving paid speeches.
Thomas’ efforts...includ(ed) a confidential memo to Chief Justice William Rehnquist from a top judiciary official seeking guidance on what he termed a “delicate matter.”
...Congress never lifted the ban on speaking fees or gave the justices a major raise. But in the years that followed, as ProPublica has reported, Thomas accepted a stream of gifts from friends and acquaintances that appears to be unparalleled in the modern history of the Supreme Court. Some defrayed living expenses large and small — private school tuition, vehicle batteries, tires. Other gifts from a coterie of ultrarich men supplemented his lifestyle, such as free international vacations on the private jet and superyacht of Dallas real estate billionaire Harlan Crow.
Precisely what led so many people to offer Thomas money and other gifts remains an open question. There’s no evidence the justice ever raised the specter of resigning with Crow or his other wealthy benefactors.
George Priest, a Yale Law School professor who has vacationed with Thomas and Crow, told ProPublica he believes Crow’s generosity was not intended to influence Thomas’ views but rather to make his life more comfortable. “He views Thomas as a Supreme Court justice as having a limited salary,” Priest said. “So he provides benefits for him.”...
...There’s an often-criticized dynamic surrounding most important jobs in the federal government: The posts pay far less than comparable jobs in the private sector, but officials can cash in once they leave. Ex-regulators sell advice to the regulated. Generals retire to join military contractors. Former senators get jobs lobbying Congress.
But there is no revolving-door payday waiting on the other side of a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court...
https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-money-complaints-sparked-resi...
46margd
Jane Mayer @JaneMayerNYer | 10:10 AM · Feb 24, 2024
Shocked? Clarence Thomas just hired the woman notorious for texting “I hate Blacks” as his law clerk, according to Scalia Law School.
Jane Mayer @JaneMayerNYer | Jan 18, 2022:
Read this: Opinion | Crystal Clanton, William Pryor and the racist texts - The Washington Post {PAYWALL}
https://washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/01/18/clerk-texts-appeals-court-clanton...
--------------------------------------------
Clarence Thomas Hires Clerk Accused of Writing "I HATE BLACK PEOPLE"
Crystal Clanton, who claimed she had no recollection of racist messages reported by The New Yorker in 2017, has long been associated with the Thomas family.
Jack McCordick | February 24, 2024
...The racist comments stem from Clanton’s work for the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, where she served as national field director until the summer of 2017. At the end of that year, New Yorker investigative reporter Jane Mayer unearthed a text from Clanton to another TPUSA employee in which Clanton wrote, “I HATE BLACK PEOPLE. Like fuck them all . . . I hate blacks. End of story.” (At the time, Clanton told the magazine that she had “no recollection of these messages and they do not reflect what I believe or who I am and the same was true when I was a teenager.” Clanton would have been 20 when the texts were sent.)
Mayer also reported that, on one Martin Luther King Jr. Day during her tenure, Clanton fired a woman who claimed to be the organization’s only Black employee. On this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day, it’s worth noting, Turning Point founder and CEO Charlie Kirk, who has been cozying up to white nationalists of late, .announced a campaign to discredit the “mythical sainthood” of MLK.
...Vanity Fair’s Caleb Ecarma, who reported on Clanton’s hire at the time for Mediaite, also uncovered additional racist remarks Clanton had made to TPUSA staffers, which included one Snapchat photo of a man who appeared to be Arab with the caption, “Just thinking about ways to do another 9/11.”...
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/clarence-thomas-hires-clerk-crystal-clanton
_____________________________________
Art Martin @gartmartin9 | 10:16 AM · Feb 24, 2024:
she lived with the couple for a time and did "video work" for Ginny...but hey, Clarence Thomas is all about "merit"🙄
2 prominent conservative judges have quashed an investigation into their former clerk — and friend of Clarence Thomas — for texting 'I hate black people'
Jack Newsham | Nov 3, 2023
https://www.businessinsider.com/crystal-clanton-racist-texts-clarence-thomas-inv...
Shocked? Clarence Thomas just hired the woman notorious for texting “I hate Blacks” as his law clerk, according to Scalia Law School.
Jane Mayer @JaneMayerNYer | Jan 18, 2022:
Read this: Opinion | Crystal Clanton, William Pryor and the racist texts - The Washington Post {PAYWALL}
https://washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/01/18/clerk-texts-appeals-court-clanton...
--------------------------------------------
Clarence Thomas Hires Clerk Accused of Writing "I HATE BLACK PEOPLE"
Crystal Clanton, who claimed she had no recollection of racist messages reported by The New Yorker in 2017, has long been associated with the Thomas family.
Jack McCordick | February 24, 2024
...The racist comments stem from Clanton’s work for the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, where she served as national field director until the summer of 2017. At the end of that year, New Yorker investigative reporter Jane Mayer unearthed a text from Clanton to another TPUSA employee in which Clanton wrote, “I HATE BLACK PEOPLE. Like fuck them all . . . I hate blacks. End of story.” (At the time, Clanton told the magazine that she had “no recollection of these messages and they do not reflect what I believe or who I am and the same was true when I was a teenager.” Clanton would have been 20 when the texts were sent.)
Mayer also reported that, on one Martin Luther King Jr. Day during her tenure, Clanton fired a woman who claimed to be the organization’s only Black employee. On this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day, it’s worth noting, Turning Point founder and CEO Charlie Kirk, who has been cozying up to white nationalists of late, .announced a campaign to discredit the “mythical sainthood” of MLK.
...Vanity Fair’s Caleb Ecarma, who reported on Clanton’s hire at the time for Mediaite, also uncovered additional racist remarks Clanton had made to TPUSA staffers, which included one Snapchat photo of a man who appeared to be Arab with the caption, “Just thinking about ways to do another 9/11.”...
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/clarence-thomas-hires-clerk-crystal-clanton
_____________________________________
Art Martin @gartmartin9 | 10:16 AM · Feb 24, 2024:
she lived with the couple for a time and did "video work" for Ginny...but hey, Clarence Thomas is all about "merit"🙄
2 prominent conservative judges have quashed an investigation into their former clerk — and friend of Clarence Thomas — for texting 'I hate black people'
Jack Newsham | Nov 3, 2023
https://www.businessinsider.com/crystal-clanton-racist-texts-clarence-thomas-inv...
