Amen
Keep Digging and Keep Publishing Pro Publica!
See Above!
And this, I agree is the most likely “reason”…there were already enough votes to deny and his voting to allow would have just looked bad with no upside for Thomas.
27 Likes
Probably not, actually. A judge should not recuse just because he’s named in the documents at issue in the case. If that were the line, I would recommend that progressive activists start talking a lot of shit about the Fascist Five in their lawsuits.
The much more obvious excuse – and it is an excuse, he would never have recused if he was the fourth vote to grant review – is that Eastman was his law clerk and maintains a close personal relationship with Uncle Thomas and his brain-addled spouse.
60 Likes
She’s beautiful!
15 Likes
16 Likes
…Eastman, a former Thomas clerk, also corresponded with Ginni Thomas, the justice’s wife, during the period of time that Trump was both in office and seeking to reverse his loss…
Eastman? Eastman? Never heard of the man. My Wife and I never discuss matters that come before the Court.
27 Likes
He has dignity.
1 Like
Thomas’ recusal is pretty easy to understand, even if his moral failings make it surprising.
11 Likes
When this Supreme Court rolls over for prosecutors of Trump and his gang, you know they’re in deep serious.
Meanwhile, in other Trump trials, check out Donnie Two-Scoops in the courtroom in NY today. Wants to look tough and scary, but just looks way down, like, “They’re gonna take hundreds of millions of my perfect dollars sob 
” And you can practically read the thought bubbles over his lawyers’ heads: “I got paid in advance and unlike this sucker next to me I am not facing total ruin. Life is good!”
21 Likes
You made a funny.
16 Likes
I have a lot of admiration for Justice Thomas. He must be so proud to have his name appear in Google searches for “pubic hair”! I’ve always wondered how he rationalizes that his most ardent supporters and dearest “friends” would have opposed his right to marry a white woman, and called it “miscegenation”.
12 Likes
Once again we learn that it is the lawyers who clerk for the Justices that lead the corruption & are the liaisons for bribery.
Journalism/media should investigate many more clerks & former clerks of this conservative cabal on SCOTUS.
Follow the money.
20 Likes
If these hypothetical activists are busy having conversations with his wife, that might fly.
6 Likes
Because Thomas is both untrustworthy and not particularly subtle, I think he recused himself in this most obvious case of a conflict of interest so when a case with a marginally less obvious conflict arises he can point to this and say, “But I did recuse myself that one time, what more do you want?” and not recuse himself.
21 Likes
It appears that Justice Thomas has adopted the “limited hangout” technique so cynically used by Richard Nixon when his ass was in a sling. It’s called “doing enough just to get by.” IMHO, it’s no way near enough!
14 Likes
Ooh, lip service.
4 Likes
Sounds like somebody got a stern talking to…
3 Likes
Citation needed. LIke seriously? Or is my snark-o-meter broken this morning?
7 Likes
Eastman is a guy who has so far shown zero contrition—not seeing any plea deal offer coming from him at all.
10 Likes
He’s on the bench permanently…if he doesn’t cause corrupt GOP and DP machine officials to arch their eyebrows. Seems like maybe eyebrow arch practice may be warranted.
1 Like
Especially if on a matter he already knew he would lose. This wasn’t a new ruling … it was a rejected flimsy appeal.
But he’ll now expect a pass for all his misdeeds, and the Fed Society will no doubt call for refusals from other justices in not even remotely analogous situations.
10 Likes