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Phew, what a crazy few weeks for Court-related news.
At long last, we saw the Senate confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson — making her the first Black woman and first former public defender to serve on the Supreme Court in the institution’s 232 years of existence.
But even as we celebrate this historic milestone with an incredible new justice, there’s an ugly truth nagging in the back of our minds: the Court Justice Jackson will be joining is a direct threat to the rights and well-being of millions of Americans and to our democracy itself. The conservative majority on SCOTUS put that on full display when they launched another attack on the Voting Rights Act from the shadow docket on the third day of Jackson's hearings.
And in the midst of all of this, even more explosive revelations came to light regarding Justice Clarence Thomas’ ethical misconduct surrounding his wife Ginni Thomas’ role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the deadly January 6 insurrection.
There’s a lot to be thankful for after last week’s confirmation. But we have a lot of work ahead of us if we want to see a Court that truly deserves Justice Jackson, and that has all Americans’ best interests at heart. |
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Clarence Chatter |
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In recent weeks, all eyes have been on Clarence Thomas and his wife Ginni. Let’s break it down.
Bombshell reports have revealed that Ginni Thomas was in regular communication with Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows following the 2020 Presidential Election. In more than two dozen leaked text messages, Ginni Thomas encouraged Trump’s efforts to overturn the election in the two months leading up to the deadly insurrection on January 6, 2021. |
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“The messages — 29 in all — reveal an extraordinary pipeline between Virginia Thomas, who goes by Ginni, and President Donald Trump’s top aide during a period when Trump and his allies were vowing to go to the Supreme Court in an effort to negate the election results.”
The news follows reports of Ginni Thomas’ attendance at the January 6 rally, as well as her connections to at least one of the groups responsible for organizing the event. Meanwhile earlier this year Justice Thomas was the lone dissenter in Trump v. Thompson — voting against requiring Trump White House documents be turned over to the congressional committee investigating the insurrection — and providing no justification for siding with Donald Trump.
This all paints a pretty bad picture for Clarence Thomas. We should expect more, not less from the justices that sit on the highest Court in the land and the American people deserve to know that the Supreme Court is not swayed by undue influence.
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Opinion: What can Democrats do about Clarence Thomas?
“…17 progressive organizations are releasing a letter calling on Democrats to launch a congressional investigation of Justice Thomas’s "misconduct in his handling of cases regarding the January 6 insurrection, the 2020 presidential election, and other cases involving his wife’s political activities.”
“As the groups note in their letter, which is spearheaded by Take Back the Court, Supreme Court justices are bound by a federal statute that says they, like other judges, should recuse themselves from any case in which their “impartiality might reasonably be questioned.”
“Thomas has already violated this law, the letter argues, by ruling on multiple cases involving both the 2020 election and the insurrection.” |
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March Madness |
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In what will surprise absolutely no one, after weeks of Senate Republicans promising to treat Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson fairly in her confirmation hearings, they spent all four days doing the exact opposite.
Does the Supreme Court Deserve Ketanji Brown Jackson?
And even after Jackson’s impressive performance in the hearings, some Republicans made it clear that there was nothing Jackson — or any Biden nominee — could have done to gain their votes… or even get a hearing at all. It paints a frightening picture for the future.
Ketanji Brown Jackson may be Biden's last justice
“During an Axios News Shapers interview, McConnell declined repeatedly to say whether he could commit to holding hearings on any Supreme Court nominee by President Biden if Republicans regain the Senate majority in November and a seat opens in 2023.
“‘I choose not to answer the question,’ McConnell finally said, after repeated pressing.” |
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On the (Shadow) Docket |
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