Clarence Thomas

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Hunter Biden: With Trump Case Tossed, Mine Should Be, Too

President's son echoes argument about unconstitutional appointment of special counsel

(Newser) - Hunter Biden is calling for the dismissal of cases against him, citing the same justification that a judge used to toss former President Trump's federal classified documents case. Biden's attorneys claim the unconstitutional appointment of the investigation's special counsel in new court filings. Guided by Justice Clarence...

Thomas, Alito Face Articles of Impeachment

AOC cites gifts to justices, refusals to recuse

(Newser) - As promised , Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has introduced articles of impeachment in the House against Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas. The New York Democrat cited their failure to disclose gifts from people with matters before the court and their refusal to recuse themselves from cases "in...

Dem Senators Want Special Counsel for Clarence Thomas

Whitehouse, Wyden ask AG Garland to investigate Thomas' 'suspicious silence' over gifts

(Newser) - After a slew of jarring stories tying Clarence Thomas to multiple undisclosed gifts, loans, and other perks from ultra-wealthy friends, two Democratic senators are now trying to get to the bottom of it. The Hill reports that Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Ron Wyden of Oregon have requested...

Separate Thomas Opinion Has Big Implications

Justice questions authority of Jack Smith, who also is handling classified documents case

(Newser) - Clarence Thomas joined the Supreme Court's bombshell majority opinion on Monday in favor of Donald Trump on the question of presidential immunity . The opinion focused on allegations that Trump illegally tried to undo the results of the 2020 election, but Thomas wrote a separate concurring opinion that could help...

Rift Is Emerging Among Conservatives on SCOTUS
Rift Is Emerging Among
Conservatives on SCOTUS
THE RUNDOWN
Jun 20, 2024 11:38 AM CDT

Rift Is Emerging Among Conservatives on SCOTUS

Barrett breaks with Thomas on 'history and tradition' approach

(Newser) - Last week's decision on a man's attempt to trademark the slogan "Trump too small" wasn't exactly the most momentous issue the Supreme Court has dealt with lately, but it exposed what appears to be a growing rift between the court's conservatives. Justice Amy Coney Barrett...

Senate Panel Finds More Trips That Thomas Didn't Disclose

Harlan Crow financed the flights on private jets

(Newser) - Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas took three trips on private jets bankrolled by Harlan Crow that were not disclosed, according to information released Thursday by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The information was contained in documents the billionaire Republican donor had turned over to the committee under subpoena over seven years,...

Clarence Thomas Estranged From Jailed Grandnephew

Business Insider speaks with Mark Martin from a South Carolina prison

(Newser) - The great-nephew Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas raised "as a son" isn't feeling much like a member of the family these days. Mark Martin, who's facing decades in prison on weapons and drug charges in South Carolina, tells Business Insider that he hasn't heard from Thomas...

Thomas Belatedly Reports Travel Expenses Paid by Donor

Elsewhere, Ketanji Brown Jackson receives $900K as part of upcoming book payment

(Newser) - Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has belatedly reported travel paid for by conservative megadonor Harlan Crow in 2019. In annual reports of justices' finances released Friday, Thomas reported that Crow paid for a hotel room in Bali, Indonesia, for a single night, and food and lodging in Sonoma County, California....

Thomas: I'd Have Been Happier on DC Circuit

Justice criticizes 'the nastiness and the lies' he and his wife face

(Newser) - With oral arguments over for this term, Supreme Court justices fanned out across the country over the weekend, providing an unusual flurry of public comments. At an appearance in Texas, Justice Brett Kavanaugh said the way to increase public faith in the judicial system is through consistency, transparency, and mutual...

Clarence Thomas Absent From Supreme Court Without Explanation

The justice missed Monday's high court session

(Newser) - Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was absent from the court Monday with no explanation, the AP reports. Thomas, 75, also was not participating remotely in arguments, as justices sometimes do when they are ill or otherwise can't be there in person. Chief Justice John Roberts announced Thomas' absence, saying...

An 1873 Law May Be New Front in Abortion Fight
An 1873 Law May Be New
Front in Abortion Fight
the rundown
Mar 29, 2024 9:24 AM CDT

An 1873 Law May Be New Front in Abortion Fight

Comstock Act, banning the mailing of 'obscene' materials, hasn't been applied in nearly a century

(Newser) - A century and a half ago, before women had the right to vote, a federal law was enacted banning the mailing of "obscene, lewd, [or] lascivious" materials, including abortion drugs. Though never fully repealed, the 1873 Comstock Act hasn't been applied in nearly a century and some experts...

John Oliver Offers to Pay Clarence Thomas $1M a Year

But only if the Supreme Court justice steps down; Oliver swears he has a legal contract

(Newser) - John Oliver's HBO show returned for a new season on Sunday, and the host closed with a doozy of an offer for Clarence Thomas: Oliver promised to pay him $1 million a year to resign from the Supreme Court, reports Deadline . Oliver pulled out a contract and promised the...

ProPublica: Clarence Thomas Had Issue With Salary in 2000

He allegedly complained about pay to a congressman in 2000

(Newser) - ProPublica's deep dive into Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' financial dealings continued on Monday with a new report that describes Thomas as under financial strain in early 2000 "just as he was developing his relationships with a set of wealthy benefactors." It cites interviews and documents...

Democrats: Thomas RV Loan Is Clear, Raising Questions

Senate committee wants to know whether justice reported the forgiveness

(Newser) - The $267,230 loan to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas from a wealthy friend was forgiven after almost nine years, Senate Democrats have found, though he may not have paid anything on the principal. A report by Democratic members of the Senate Finance Committee says it's not clear how...

In Rare Move, Thomas Recuses Himself From Case

Move comes as Supreme Court denies a request from John Eastman, a former Thomas clerk

(Newser) - Clarence Thomas took the rare step of recusing himself from a case on Monday, though it had nothing to do with his recent controversy of ties to high-powered conservative friends . Instead, the case involved former Donald Trump attorney John Eastman, who also formerly clerked for Thomas, reports the Hill . The...

ProPublica Raises Questions About Thomas' Ties to Kochs
ProPublica
Raises More
Questions
About Thomas
longform
Sep 22, 2023 1:00 PM CDT

ProPublica Raises More Questions About Thomas

Justice attended at least two donor events for the Koch brothers' conservative political network

(Newser) - ProPublica is out with another investigative piece that questions the ties of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to wealthy conservative donors . In this one, the outlet reports that Thomas attended at least two fundraising events over the years for the influential Koch brothers, Charles and David. (The latter died...

Kavanaugh: SCOTUS Ethics Changes Are on the Way

He predicts 'concrete steps' in the near future

(Newser) - Public confidence in the Supreme Court is at a 50-year-low, but Justice Brett Kavanaugh says change is on the way. When asked about "perceived ethical issues" at a judicial conference Thursday, Kavanaugh said the court is "continuing to work on those issues," as Chief Justice John Robert...

Thomas' Team Adds Angry Defense to Disclosures

Justice nevertheless is called out for history of unreported gifts

(Newser) - Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas didn't just file his delayed financial disclosure form on Thursday and let it go at that. He included a defense of his travels with billionaire Harlan Crow—an unusual addition, the New York Times reports. And the justice's personal attorney released a strident,...

Thomas Acknowledges Trips on Donor's Private Jet

Supreme Court justice reports 3 trips in new financial disclosure

(Newser) - Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is acknowledging that he took three trips last year aboard a private plane owned by Republican megadonor Harlan Crow. It's the first time in years that Thomas has reported receiving hospitality from Crow, per the AP . In a disclosure report made public Thursday, the...

Justices Should Know 'People Are Selling Access to Them'
SCOTUS Justices' College
Visits Get Ethically Murky
investigation
Jul 11, 2023 1:45 PM CDT

SCOTUS Justices' College Visits Get Ethically Murky

Schools often have them hobnob with donors and raise mega-bucks

(Newser) - The AP is out with a massive report on the extracurricular activities of the Supreme Court justices—specifically their seemingly innocuous visits to college campuses. But, as the agency reports, it uncovered "tens of thousands of pages of emails and other documents that reveal the extent to which public...

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