Clarence Thomas should recuse himself from Trump Supreme Court case: Democrats

Some congressional Democrats want Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from the Colorado ballot case at the Supreme Court because of his wife’s political advocacy, but she and her lawyer contend she has no influence on her husband’s judicial opinions.

Virginia “Ginni” Thomas has argued repeatedly the 2020 election was stolen. She sent 29 texts to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, including “Do not concede.” She attended Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6, 2021, but said she didn’t march to the Capitol. She told the House committee investigating the Capitol riot she still thought in September 2022 the election was stolen.

On Wednesday, the head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., urged Justice Thomas not to participate in the Colorado case.

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“Given questions surrounding his wife’s involvement, Justice Thomas should recuse himself so there’s no question of bias,” Durbin, the assistant majority leader, said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Eight House Democrats led by Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., called on Thomas to recuse himself in January from the Colorado case. Johnson led another group of eight lawmakers in December who called on Thomas to recuse from any case dealing with the 2020 election because of his wife’s activities.

“Your wife’s activities raise serious questions about your ability to be or even to appear impartial in any cases before the Supreme Court involving the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection,” the letter said.

Mark Paoletta, a lawyer representing Ginni Thomas, has argued there is no reason for her husband to recuse himself because of her activities. He noted the House committee that investigated the Capitol attack never mentioned her in its 845-page report.

“Spouses are allowed to voice opinions on issues of the day,” Paoletta said. “This isn’t even a close call.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Clarence Thomas recusal called for by Dems in Trump Supreme Court case