A progressive group delivered a petition signed by more than 1.2 million people to Democratic lawmakers on Thursday, calling for the impeachment of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
MoveOn.org held an event showcasing the exchange in front of the Supreme Court.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, Minnesota Democrat, welcomed the activists, saying the court would be delegitimized if lawmakers don’t act to remove Justice Thomas from the bench.
“Let me be clear, Clarence Thomas is a corrupt jurist and should have no place on our highest court. Clarence Thomas for the past three decades worked in tandem with his wife from the bench to decide cases that were in lockstep with his wife’s political disputes,” Ms. Omar said. “There is no way Clarence Thomas should be seen as a neutral jurist.”
A spokesperson for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the House is seriously considering impeachment hearings.
Ms. Omar also called for liberal justices to be added to the bench by President Biden, a call progressives have made since conservatives captured a 6-3 majority on the bench because of President Trump’s three recent appointments.
Demands to impeach Justice Thomas began when news broke his wife had been in contact with pro-Trump allies, questioning the results of the 2020 election.
Virginia Thomas attended the Jan. 6, 2021 rally and advocated for overturning the 2020 election results, making her a person of interest to the Jan. 6 committee where lawmakers said they could subpoena her to testify.
Democrats and liberal activists have been calling for Justice Thomas to either resign or recuse himself from hearing cases related to the election or the former president, suggesting he has a conflict of interest.
Other critics have also pointed to Justice Thomas’ concurring opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the case that overturned the national right to abortion last month, where he said other cases related to the doctrine of “substantive due process” should be reevaluated, such as those governing contraception, same-sex relations and marriage.
Justice Thomas, along with other conservatives on the bench, has faced pro-choice protesters outside his home following the Supreme Court’s decision in the abortion case, sending the issue back to state legislatures where many conservative states are enacting bans on the procedure.
The senior associate justice has been on the bench for more than 30 years, appointed by the late President George H.W. Bush.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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