Clarence Thomas is one of the four biggest reasons that no Republican can be allowed to appoint a Supreme Court Justice for the next twenty years, at least. Forty would be better. Never again would be best. In Clarence Thomas Must Resign!, I covered Clarence Thomas’ conflicts of interest on most progressive issues, given that his family derives a significant portion of their income through Virginia Thomas’ employment fighting progressive causes. I also covered his ethical dishonesty by his failure to disclose his wife’s income in that regard. He “forgot”, he says. Bull! Anthony Weiner (D-NY) has taken up the cause. He and 73 other members of Congress are demanding that Thomas recuse himself from the health care case sure to be before the Court.
Seventy-four Members of Congress have signed a letter calling for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from cases involving the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act because of his family’s financial ties to groups dedicated to lobbying against it.
"The appearance of a conflict of interest merits recusal under federal law," the letter, written by Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), said. "From what we have already seen, the line between your impartiality and you and your wife’s financial stake in the overturn of healthcare reform is blurred."
Thomas faced questions this week about his judicial impartiality after his wife, Virginia, launched the lobby group Liberty Consulting.
Critics say Virginia Thomas’ activities at Liberty Consulting could easily create a conflict of interest for her husband whenever he rules on a case affecting one of his wife’s clients. And they argue Virginia Thomas’ political involvement is yet another sign of the "politicization" of the nation’s highest court.
"Your spouse is advertising herself as a lobbyist who has ‘experience and connections’ and appeals to clients who want a particular decision – they want to overturn health care reform," the letter continued. "Moreover, your failure to disclose Ginny Thomas’s receipt of $686,589 from the Heritage Foundation, a prominent opponent of healthcare reform, between 2003 and 2007 has raised great concern."
According to the government watchdog group Common Cause, Justice Thomas failed to report income that his wife earned from her work at two conservative think tanks, the Heritage Foundation and Liberty Central. The Ethics in Government Act of 1978 requires Supreme Court justices to disclose their spouse’s income… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Raw Story>
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The conflict of interest could not be more clear. To add your voice click Conflicted Clarence Thomas.
8 Responses to “Action Alert: Muzzle Clarence Thomas!”
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The SOB should not only recuse himself, he should also be expelled and disbarred! He has a very activist slant for one who claims to be strict obstructionist, and he’s too arrogant and close-minded, too.
Jack, that sounds like an echo of my mind.
Gladly signed the petition.
I’m tired of cynics sitting on their hands and whining “Like it would do any good.” Tell THAT to the protesters in Cairo. And maybe it won’t bring about Thomas’ necessary recusals – but I can guarantee you that doing NOTHING will absolutely bring about NO change whatever.
Nameless, that’s an excellent point. It took us many years to bring the war in Vietnam to an end.
A sorry excuse for a man, let alone a Judge , no ethics or honesty–again Jack Jodell says it best . There is no hint of objectivity about him , no evidence of honesty .
The sad thing is how race played in his appointment. Republicans were afraid to replace the only black justice with anything but. The pool of black Republicans is virtually all people willing to sell out their own race for personal advantage. I man I worked with explained it to me once. He said, “As a Democrat, I’m just one more black face, but as a Republican, I’m a celebrity.” Then even in the face of Anita Hill’s testimony, Democrats were afraid to oppose a black man for the office.
The next thing out of Thomas’ mouth will be that everyone, myself included, who signed the petition is a racist trying to re-institute lynchings and Jim Crow law. If Issa wants to investigate a black man I suggest he start with Thomas and his wife.
Actually, Thomas has voted in favor of Jim Crow laws.