Friends, it’s a new year – but the corruption and assaults on our rights at the Supreme Court are the same as ever. And the news didn’t take a holiday break.

In the past couple of weeks, a barrage of reports has brought to light more evidence of what we already know: the Court’s right-wing majority is in the pocket of the anti-democratic politicians and donors who installed it in the first place. The Court is facing a crisis of legitimacy of its own creation — with ethics violations and conflicts of interest swirling around the right-wing justices as they work hard to strip our rights away. 

But here’s the truth: The American people are taking notice, and the power to stop this rogue Court is in our hands. So as we gear up to fight back against the Court’s attacks this year, I’m hopeful. We may not be sure who our next Speaker of the House is, but I am sure that we have the power of the American people on our side — and momentum behind our movement to expand the Court.  

And with your support, here at Take Back the Court, we’re not giving up.

Court Chatter

NYT | A Charity Tied to the Supreme Court Offers Donors Access to the Justices

“The society has raised more than $23 million over the last two decades. Because of its nonprofit status, it does not have to publicly disclose its donors — and declined when asked to do so. But The New York Times was able to identify the sources behind more than $10.7 million raised since 2003, the first year for which relevant records were available. At least $6.4 million — or 60 percent — came from corporations, special interest groups, or lawyers and firms that argued cases before the court, according to an analysis of archived historical society newsletters and publicly available records that detail grants given to the society by foundations.”

Slate | Why the Jan. 6 Committee Let Ginni and Clarence Thomas Off the Hook

“For every working Republican power player, including the two Republican members of the Jan. 6 Committee, accountability stops at the courthouse door. [...] One branch of government is checked and the other is given a pass.”

Washington Post | For John Eastman and Clarence Thomas, an intellectual kinship stretching back decades

“The Supreme Court justice and the lawyer who worked to help Trump try to overturn the election have a remarkable relationship that dates back more than three decades and that began years before Eastman served as Thomas’s clerk and before Thomas joined the bench, a Washington Post examination found.”

On the Docket: The Fate of the Right to Strike

Attacks on workers’ rights are no longer a surprise from the right-wing Supreme Court. But next week, the Court will hear a case that threatens the very heart of the labor movement: workers’ right to strike.

In Glacier Northwest Inc. v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the right-wing Court majority could make the right to strike fundamentally meaningless by opening workers up to lawsuits by employers facing economic losses as a result of strikes. 

This Court has been steadfast in its efforts to consolidate power for Republican politicians and big corporations. And as the most effective counterweight to corporate interests, the labor movement will be a central target of the right-wing justices for decades to come — unless we expand and rebalance the Court.

Our report on the Court’s assault on the labor movement =>

Let the Record Show: Clarence and Ginni Thomas’ Ethics Disaster

Last week, the January 6th Committee released a transcript of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ wife Ginni Thomas’ testimony to the public. 

We’re sure you remember Ginni Thomas coming under fire when her communications with former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows encouraging Trump not to concede in the 2020 presidential election were revealed. In those texts, she referenced having a conversation with her “best friend.”

Thomas’ testimony confirms what many of us already suspected — that aforementioned “best friend” is her husband, Justice Clarence Thomas. The same Justice Thomas who worked, in the months following the 2020 election, to prop up challenges to Trump’s loss. Despite his wife’s right-wing activism and involvement around the January 6th insurrection, Thomas refused to recuse himself from cases related to the election. 

We’ll be keeping a close eye on the news as more details around the Thomas’ ethics disaster inevitably come to light — and we’ll make sure you’re in the loop on all of it.

If you enjoyed this edition of Full Court Press, I hope you’ll consider chipping in to support our work to expand the Supreme Court to put power back where it belongs – with the people.