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John,
The U.S. Supreme Court is facing a legitimacy crisis, and Justice Clarence Thomas is Exhibit Number 1.
When Republicans manipulated the process of nominating and confirming Supreme Court justices to pack the Court with extremist conservatives, they created a Supreme Court that is far out of step with the American people.
From eviscerating women’s reproductive rights under Roe v. Wade, to dismantling the Voting Rights Act of 1965; from overturning New York’s concealed carry law, to prohibiting the EPA’s authority to limit carbon emissions, the Court has taken on a far right activist role in rulings that affect millions of Americans.
When it comes to the actions of individual justices shaking the public’s confidence in the Court, Clarence Thomas provides many glaring examples. From undisclosed luxury yacht trips, private jet travel, and resort vacations underwritten by a far-right billionaire mega donor, to his repeated refusal to recuse himself from cases in which his wife had strong political interests, Thomas has proven himself to be a lightning rod for corruption.
Events of the past few years have seriously shaken the American people’s confidence in the fairness and impartiality of the US Supreme Court. Join us in urging the U.S. Senate to launch an investigation into the actions of Justice Thomas, and to pass legislation to establish a Code of Ethics for the nation’s highest court.
Currently, there is a Code of Ethics establishing standards of conduct for all federal judges -- except Supreme Court justices. As a result, it’s not clear when they are required to report lavish gifts, or to recuse themselves due to conflicts of interest. The Senate needs to fix this giant loophole by establishing a clear set of ethical expectations.
The Senate also needs to investigate Clarence Thomas, who may have violated federal disclosure laws when he failed to report the free travel he received. Yet, these undisclosed gifts, worth millions of dollars, have not been his only ethical lapses -- or even his most serious. Justice Thomas also failed to recuse himself when he faced other clear conflicts of interest.
His wife, Ginni Thomas, advocated for the overthrow of the government with dozens of state legislators and the White House Chief of Staff, yet Thomas continued to hear Supreme Court cases directly related to the insurrection, and he was the sole dissenting vote against requiring former President Trump to provide subpoenaed White House documents to the Jan. 6 committee.
Nor was this the only instance in which Thomas’ judicial decisions merged with the conservative political activism of his wife. In 2000, she was working with George W. Bush’s transition team when he voted to hand Bush the presidency. In 2012, she was lobbying for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act at the same time he voted to abolish it. And in 2017, she worked for an organization that supported Trump’s ban on Muslim immigration, even as he voted for it.
Clarence Thomas has violated the public’s trust, and corruptly exploited his position of power to subsidize a life of luxury. Sign this petition to encourage the U.S. Senate to hold the Supreme Court accountable, through investigating its most profligate members, and establishing a U.S. Supreme Court Code of Conduct.
We will share the support for this petition with the media, the White House, and key allies in Congress. Thank you for taking action to support a fair and independent judiciary.
- Amanda
Amanda Ford, Director
Democracy for America
Advocacy Fund
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