Several House Democrats are calling for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from Donald Trump’s immunity case.
In a letter obtained by The Washington Post, several Democrats wrote, “For the reasons explained below, we strongly implore you to exercise your discretion and recuse yourself from this and any other decisions in the case of United States v. Trump.”
“Public perception is growing that the Supreme Court flouts the rules, in large part due to your recently reported ties to and luxury travel with billionaire Republican donors that you hid for decades,” the letter says, adding, “In Cannon 3B, the Code states that “A Justice should disqualify himself or herself in a proceeding in which the Justice’s impartiality might reasonably be questioned, that is, where an unbiased and reasonable person who is aware of all relevant circumstances would doubt that the Justice could fairly discharge his or her duties.”
The letter describes that actions taken by Thomas’ wife jeopardize the Justice’s objectivity in the case.
“We know through public reporting and through Congressional investigations that your wife, Virginia (‘Ginni’) Thomas was intimately involved in Mr. Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election and to obstruct its certification – the very conspiracies at issue in this case. Your wife not only attended the pro-Trump rally that preceded the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol, she was one of nine board members for a conservative political group that helped lead the ‘Stop the Steal’ movement.”
The representatives note, “These details about your wife’s activities raise serious questions about your ability to be or even to appear impartial in any cases before the Supreme Court involving the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection.”
“If you want to show the American people that the Supreme Court’s recent Code of Conduct is worth more than the paper it is written on, you must do the honorable thing and recuse yourself from any decisions in the case of United States v. Trump.”
The letter comes as Special Counsel Jack Smith recently asked the Supreme Court to rule on Trump’s immunity claims.
“This case presents a fundamental question at the heart of our democracy: whether a former President is absolutely immune from federal prosecution for crimes committed while in office,” Smith wrote in his filing to the Supreme Court.
Smith asked the Supreme Court to take action on the case as to prevent delays that could push the trial after the 2024 presidential election.
