Dear MoveOn member,
Today, the Supreme Court heard arguments in the first of two cases that
will determine whether the high court allows Donald Trump to regain the
White House and stay out of jail.^1,2
At issue in the case today is Trump's appeal of the Colorado Supreme Court
ruling disqualifying him from the 2024 ballot for his role in the January
6 insurrection.
And one of the justices hearing the case is, of course, Clarence Thomas,
whose wife played a central role in the insurrection.^3
John, we cannot stand by and allow Clarence Thomas to rule on
these cases, given his extraordinary conflict of interest. He has
absolutely no business hearing these cases.
Last Friday, MoveOn drove a huge mobile billboard around the Supreme
Court, demanding Thomas recuse himself. It turned heads all day long—so
much so that Fox News is now going to desperate lengths to defend
Thomas.^4
We urgently need to keep ramping up pressure on Clarence Thomas to recuse
himself from cases involving Trump and the January 6 insurrection. Will
you start a $5 monthly donation to MoveOn so we can keep
turning up the heat on Thomas for as long as it takes without taking
resources away from our 2024 election program?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in monthly.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Clarence Thomas's wife, Ginni Thomas, "repeatedly pressed" Trump officials
to "pursue unrelenting efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential
election."^5
She exchanged more than two dozen text messages, focused on overturning
the election, with Trump's White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows.^6
She corresponded with John Eastman, a former clerk for Clarence Thomas and
a lawyer for Trump. Eastman had advocated a fringe legal theory that Vice
President Mike Pence could block the certification of President Biden's
Electoral College win.^7
She attended the "Stop the Steal" rally before the attack on the U.S.
Capitol on January 6.^8
And more than a year and a half after January 6, she even told the House
committee investigating the attack that she still believed the 2020
election was stolen.^9
In other words, she was a key player in the MAGA insurrection. Judicial
ethics, including the Supreme Court's new code of conduct—which Clarence
Thomas signed—requires his recusal.^10
Right now, as the Supreme Court begins hearing the two Trump cases that
could well determine whether Trump sits in the White House or in jail, we
need to pull out all of the stops to hold Thomas accountable and force him
to recuse himself. But time is running out.
We need your help to create a media and cultural moment that Clarence
Thomas will not be able to ignore and to keep up the pressure over the
long term. Will you start a $5 monthly donation to MoveOn
to power and sustain our effort?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in monthly.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
We know that our pressure on Clarence Thomas is working. He recently
recused himself from a case about January 6 and Eastman, Trump's former
lawyer.^11
Our focus on Clarence Thomas is a necessary part of our broader fight to
hold the Supreme Court accountable and protect America's democracy.
Thomas is the only sitting member of the Supreme Court who voted on Bush
v. Gore in 2000—stopping the Florida recount and throwing the election to
George W. Bush.^12
We cannot let Thomas and the Supreme Court undermine another presidential
election.
MoveOn is ramping up the pressure on Clarence Thomas to force him to
recuse himself—and to ensure that justices are held accountable when they
undermine the integrity of our judicial system.
John, the future of our democracy is on the line. Will you
start a $5 monthly donation to MoveOn so we can turn up and
sustain the heat on Clarence Thomas and work to restore the integrity of
the Supreme Court?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in monthly.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Thanks for all you do.
–Alexis, Allison, Madeleine, Cheryl, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "The Trump Ballot Case Is This Generation's Brown v. Board of
Education," Slate, February 7, 2024
[link removed]
2. "The Supreme Court Knows What It Must Do With Trump's Immunity Ploy,"
Slate, February 6, 2024
[link removed]
3. "Justice Thomas ally says media, Dems are trying to push him to recuse
himself before Trump ballot arguments," Fox News, February 7, 2024
[link removed]
4. "Virginia Thomas urged White House chief to pursue unrelenting efforts
to overturn the 2020 election, texts show," The Washington Post, March 24,
2022
[link removed]
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid.
9. Ibid.
10. "Some want Justice Thomas to skip Trump's ballot case. He doesn't plan
to." The Washington Post, February 6, 2024
[link removed]
11. "Clarence Thomas recuses himself as Supreme Court rejects ex-Trump
lawyer John Eastman's appeal," NBC News, October 2, 2023
[link removed]
12. "The Ghost of Bush v. Gore Haunts the Supreme Court's Colorado Case,"
The New Yorker, February 7, 2024
[link removed]
Want to support MoveOn's work? The MAGA movement's book bans have forced
teachers and librarians across the country to remove books from their
shelves and censor what young people can learn. MoveOn is fighting back,
including by filling a "Banned Bookmobile" with books that the far right
has banned and driving it to key cities and towns to raise the visibility
of book bans, hand out banned books for free, and bring people together to
stop censorship. To keep up the fight against book bans and the MAGA
politicians who support them, we need your help.
Will you start a monthly gift to power and sustain MoveOn's critical
work?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in $5 a month.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
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