John,
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas must recuse from all cases involving the 2020 election and the January 6 insurrection.
After the revelation that his wife, Ginni Thomas, participated in efforts to overturn the election, it’s clear that Thomas needs to recuse to preserve the integrity of the Court. CREW sent a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts saying exactly that—read more here.
The Supreme Court also must act swiftly to establish a Code of Conduct that would formalize and enforce recusal processes. Supreme Court justices are legally required to recuse themselves from proceedings where their impartiality might reasonably be questioned—but currently, it’s totally up to them to determine when their impartiality is in question. That’s not good enough, and the recent revelations about Ginni Thomas’s involvement in efforts to overturn the election, and Justice Thomas’s failure to recuse from cases involving the election and insurrection, demonstrate why reform is so desperately needed.
Justice Thomas was the lone vote to block the House Select Committee from getting January 6th documents from Donald Trump, creating a clear appearance of bias. Justice Thomas must recuse from future cases, and the Supreme Court must create a Code of Conduct. The integrity of the judiciary and of our democracy is at stake.
Thank you,
Noah Bookbinder
President, CREW
