Democrats are calling on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from a motion that will determine former President Donald Trump’s immunity claims in his upcoming federal election interference trial.
The Hill reports:
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and other Democrats on the panel argue that Thomas faces a conflict of interest because his wife Ginni was outspoken in support of Trump’s false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
“There are so many unanswered questions about the relationship of the Justice and his family with the Trump administration that I think in the interests of justice he should recuse himself,” Durbin said. (RELATED: House Democrats Call For Justice Department Investigation Into Clarence Thomas)
Durbin also expressed his concern that the conservative-leaning court might rule in Trump’s favor.
“If we say certain people are above the law I believe it diminishes values in this country,” he added.
Durbin and other Senate Democrats are stepping up pressure on Thomas to recuse himself from hearing Trump’s immunity claim because they don’t have much faith in Chief Justice John Roberts enforcing ethical or recusal guidelines among members of the court.
“When they came back with their supposed code of conduct, it didn’t address recusal like we did in the bill that we passed,” he added, referring to the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal and Transparency Act, which the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced in July.
Other Democrats are making similar arguments against Thomas:
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said Ginni Thomas’s support for the pro-Trump crowd that demonstrated on the National Mall on Jan. 6, some of whom later stormed the Capitol, raises serious concerns about the prospect of Justice Thomas ruling on a federal prosecution of Trump.
The remarks come one day after Special Counsel Jack Smith asked the Supreme Court for an expedited ruling on Trump’s argument that he cannot be prosecuted for any actions he took while he was in office as president. The court ordered Trump’s lawyers to respond to Smith by Dec. 20.
A lower court recently dismissed Trump’s claim of absolute immunity.
Trump’s federal election interference case is scheduled to begin March 4.
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