Democrats on Thursday continued calls for Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from a case before the Supreme Court regarding whether states have a constitutional right to exclude former President Donald Trump from presidential primary ballots.
The high court heard arguments Thursday whether Colorado can exclude Trump from its ballot by using Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which disqualifies from office those who engage in insurrection against the Constitution after taking an oath to support it. Colorado's Supreme Court ruled in December that Trump participated in an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, even though he has never been charged with such a crime.
Trump also was banned from the primary ballot in Maine by Democrat Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, but her ruling is being appealed in state court. A favorable verdict from the Supreme Court for Trump, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, would largely end efforts to prevent his name from appearing on ballots.
Democrats claim Thomas should recuse himself because of his wife Ginni Thomas' alleged support for Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
"Clarence Thomas is participating in a supreme court hearing today on donald trump's eligibility after trying to overthrow the government even though thomas's wife conspired to help trump," Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., posted Thursday on X. "It's no wonder public trust in the court is terrible. Corrupt thomas should resign."
Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., posted on X on Thursday that because Clarence Thomas recused himself from a case in October regarding his wife's correspondence with attorney John Eastman in the weeks before the events of Jan. 6 — the case involved 10 emails Eastman sought to shield from congressional investigators — the justice should have recused himself in the Trump case.
"Having recused from a prior case related to Jan 6 due to his wife's involvement, Justice Thomas's participation in Trump's ballot case is a shocking and intentional violation of his ethical obligations," Goldman posted. "Clarence Thomas is not above the law. This is a true crisis at the Court."
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., chair of the Judiciary Committee, also called on Thomas to recuse himself because of his wife.
"I'm calling for Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself in the 14th Amendment case determining if Donald Trump is ineligible for the 2024 ballot," Durbin posted Tuesday on X. "Given questions surrounding his wife's involvement, Justice Thomas should recuse himself so there's no question of bias."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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