Democrats are once again demanding Clarence Thomas recuse himself from Supreme Court cases over his wife Ginni's political ties.
Senate Judiciary chairman Dick Durbin called on Thomas to recuse himself from any cases involving a religious liberty group, First Liberty Institute, after his wife reportedly praised the organization for opposing Supreme Court reform.
For months, Democrats have pushed for sweeping reforms at the conservative Supreme Court, including a code of ethics and term limits. Republicans have dismissed the criticism as politically motivated.
The push for reform was initially fueled by reports of Justice Thomas accepting undisclosed gifts from conservative billionaires.
Ginni Thomas recently praised First Liberty Institute for opposing the reform push, according to ProPublica. The outlet claimed to obtain a recording of First Liberty CEO Kelly Shackelford reading aloud an email from Thomas.
"YOU GUYS HAVE FILLED THE SAILS OF MANY JUDGES. CAN I JUST TELL YOU, THANK YOU SO, SO, SO MUCH," Thomas reportedly wrote.
First Liberty has won religious liberty cases at the Supreme Court, including a controversy last year on a Christian postal worker's right to observe the Sabbath.
Senator Durbin called Ginni Thomas' praise of First Liberty Institute "deeply problematic."
“The reported comments by Ginni Thomas are deeply problematic,” Durbin said. “She’s testified before Congress that she and Justice Thomas do not discuss each other’s work. That defense now rings hollow. Whether she’s inflating her knowledge of judges’ views on ethics reform or telling the truth, her apparent comments on behalf of judicial officers create a clear appearance of impropriety for Justice Thomas. He must recuse himself from any case involving First Liberty Institute.”
This is not the first time Democrats have demanded Thomas' recusal over his wife's political activities.
Thomas refused to step aside from January 6th cases over his wife's role in advocating peacefully for President Trump after the 2020 election. Thomas attended Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally on January 6th, 2021, but left before violence broke out at the Capitol.
It's not unheard of for federal judges to speak with political groups that have business before the court. Ruth Bader Ginsburg never recused herself from cases involving the American Civil Liberties Union, law professor Josh Blackman noted in a recent article.
What's happening now is that Democrats are devising a new standard to attack the Supreme Court's conservatives and their spouses. Really sickening.
