A deep investigation into the political activism of Ginni and Justice Clarence Thomas reveals violations of ethical guidelines and unfitness for the Supreme Court.
The federal judicial code of conduct, adopted in 1973, restricts judges from being “a speaker, a guest of honor or featured on the program†at fund-raising events. While the code doesn’t officially apply to the nine justices, Roberts said in a 2011 report that the justices “do in fact consult†it when “assessing their ethical obligations†— a statement reiterated by a spokeswoman for the court when we asked for comment. But according to documents and recordings of such events reviewed by The Times, Justice Thomas has at least twice headlined annual conferences at the Eagle Forum, a conservative grass-roots group opposed to abortion and modern feminism.Â
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In 2008, Justice Thomas delivered a keynote speech to donors to the Manhattan Institute and spoke at a secretive political retreat hosted by the billionaire Charles Koch. And he has had a long relationship with the Heritage Foundation, which employed his wife as a liaison to the George W. Bush White House. The group once invoked Justice Thomas’s speech at one of its Leadership for America fund-raisers in a direct appeal that it sent to Philip Morris seeking a $50,000 contribution.Â
Clarence Thomas Is Unfit For The Supreme Court
Justice Thomas is clearly ethically compromised and unfit for the Supreme Court. He and his wife are political activists who routinely violate ethics rules.
Thomas is the poster child for why laws need to be passed governing the conduct of Supreme Court justices. Thomas is also an example of why seats on the Supreme Court should be term-limited. The antiquated concept of lifetime appointments no longer provides judicial independence but reinforces political partisanship without consequences.
The odds of removing Clarence Thomas from the High Court are zero, and it will not happen. The Justice is a 73-year-old diabetic, so his time on the court is likely in its final quarter, but America needs to learn the experience of having Clarence and Ginni Thomas compromise the court and take steps to make sure that it never can happen again.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
