Topline
Text messages turned over to the House January 6 Committee show that Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, repeatedly urged then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to continue efforts to overturn the 2020 election, multiple outlets report—as her husband and the Supreme Court considered a variety of cases asking them to do the same.
Key Facts
Texas asked the Supreme Court to overturn the results in four battleground states—which the court rejected, but Thomas was one of two justices who said they believed the court should have let Texas file the case, though they wouldn’t “grant other relief” like hearing the case.
The Trump campaign filed multiple lawsuits at the Supreme Court challenging results in such battleground states as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, which the court threw out without explanation or any justices publicly dissenting.
Far-right attorney Sidney Powell—who Ginni Thomas told Meadows should be “the lead and the face of Trump’s legal team”—took four post-election cases to the Supreme Court, which the court declined to her without any justices publicly dissenting.
Other unsuccessful post-election lawsuits were filed by far-right lawyer Lin Wood, Arizona GOP chair Kelli Ward, Pennsylvania GOP lawmakers and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), whose chief of staff Ginni Thomas was in touch with, Thomas told Meadows.
Pennsylvania Republicans asked the court to hear a case challenging the state’s mail-in ballot policies even after President Joe Biden’s inauguration—arguing it could affect future elections—and Thomas dissented from the court’s ruling not to take up the case, calling it “inexplicable.”
The justice repeated the Trump campaign’s claim that “fraud is more prevalent with mail-in ballots” and said that “by doing nothing, we invite further confusion and erosion of voter confidence.”
Tangent
In addition to lawsuits aiming to overturn the election, Thomas was also the sole justice to dissent from the court’s decision forcing the National Archives to turn over Trump administration documents to the House January 6 Committee, thwarting former President Donald Trump’s attempts to shield them. The texts between Meadows and Ginni Thomas were given to the committee separately from that decision as part of a tranche of documents Meadows handed over to the committee himself, according to the Washington Post.
Crucial Quote
Trump repeatedly pinned his hopes on the Supreme Court to overturn his presidential loss in the aftermath of the election, saying in December 2020, “Whether it’s a justice of the Supreme Court, or a number of justices of the Supreme Court—let’s see if they have the courage to do what everybody in this country knows is right.”
Chief Critic
The Supreme Court and Ginni Thomas have not commented on the text messages between her and Meadows, but she told the Washington Free Beacon in a recent interview that she and her husband “have our own separate careers, and our own ideas and opinions too. Clarence doesn't discuss his work with me, and I don't involve him in my work.” She also denied any involvement in planning the January 6 rally that preceded the attack on the U.S. Capitol, though she said she briefly attended it. Meadows’ attorney confirmed the text messages to the Post and said “nothing about the text messages presents any legal issues.”
Key Background
The text messages between Ginni Thomas and Meadows, which were first reported late Thursday by the Post and CBS News, include 21 messages Thomas sent to the then-chief of staff after Election Day, primarily in November 2020. Thomas told Meadows to “Help This Great President stand firm, Mark!!!” on November 10, for instance, and urged the chief of staff to “make a plan” and solicit help and advice from attorneys like Powell. “Do not concede. It takes time for the army who is gathering for his back,” Thomas texted on November 4, before telling Meadows November 19 to “release the Kraken and save us from the left taking America down,” referencing Powell’s nickname for her failed post-election legal strategy. The Post notes there may be additional text messages that weren’t turned over to the committee. Ginni Thomas is a long-time right-wing activist whose work for GOP causes has long been known. She has garnered more scrutiny in recent months, however, in light of recent pieces in the New Yorker and New York Times on her work and as the conservative-leaning court takes on more partisan issues like abortion, gun control and immigration. In addition to the election-related cases, a group Ginni Thomas serves on the board of also filed an amicus brief for an upcoming Supreme Court case on affirmative action, leading to calls for her husband to recuse himself from the case. He has not yet committed to doing so.
What To Watch For
The text messages are likely to increase calls for the Supreme Court to impose a code of ethics on its justices, who are not bound to follow the one in place for lower federal judges. Legal scholars have called for the court to impose such a code, but it has not yet said whether it will do so.
Further Reading
Virginia Thomas urged White House chief to pursue unrelenting efforts to overturn the 2020 election, texts show (Washington Post)
Ginni Thomas—Wife Of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas—Went To The Jan. 6 Rally, She Says (Forbes)
Supreme Court Kills Last Trump Election Lawsuit (Forbes)
Sidney Powell’s Remaining ‘Kraken’ Cases Thrown Out By Supreme Court (Forbes)
