AOC wants him off the court.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) Tuesday called on Justice Clarence Thomas to step down from the Supreme Court over conflicts involving his wife’s backing of former President Trump’s illegal effort to overturn his election loss.
Otherwise, the firebrand progressive warned Thomas could face impeachment.
“Clarence Thomas should resign,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “If not, his failure to ... recuse himself from matters involving his wife, and his vote to block the Jan 6th commission from key information must be investigated and could serve as grounds for impeachment.”
AOC joins a handful of progressive lawmakers calling for Clarence Thomas to step down in recent days.
Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.), who chairs a House subcommittee overseeing federal courts, said he plans to hold a “robust investigation” over the issue.
“All options have to be on the table,” Jones said.
Criticism of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas continues to grow after more evidence emerged about the involvement of his wife, Virginia, better known as Ginni, in Trump’s scheme to stay in power after losing the election.
A well-known right-wing activist, Ginni admitted attending Trump’s Jan. 6 rally, but says she did not storm the Capitol and insists she “played no role” in planning the attack.
Last week, it was revealed that she exchanged dozens of text messages with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows urging Trump not to give up power peacefully.
While there is a Code of Conduct for United States Judges used to promote the integrity, independence and impartiality of the federal judiciary, the Code does not explicitly apply to Justices of the Supreme Court. Namely, it’s up to each justice to decide whether to recuse themselves from a case with implications for a close relative or associate.
Supreme Court judges can be impeached, but that possibility remains extremely far-fetched as it would require a two-thirds vote in the evenly divided Senate.
_____
