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OPINION

Dems Turn to SCOTUS with a Message: Get Clarence Thomas

john roberts clarence thomas sandra day o connor

Chief Justice John G. Roberts (L) Justice Clarence Thomas (C) and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor pose for photographers at the U.S. Supreme Court Oct. 31, 2005 in Washington D.C. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Michael Dorstewitz By Friday, 28 April 2023 11:58 AM EDT Current | Bio | Archive

The U.S. Supreme Court’s shift to the right following former President Trump’s appointment of three justices has placed that body squarely in the crosshairs of congressional Democrats.

The court’s decision to strike down Roe v. Wade 410 U.S. 113 (1973), and its support for the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, has only made them more desperate and prompted Politico.com to run a dishonest hit piece on Justice Neil Gorsuch Tuesday.

But the left has directed most of its rancor at Justice Clarence Thomas, arguably the court’s most reliably conservative and its longest serving member — more than 31 years.

They all agree: Thomas has to go, so that President Biden can nominate a more "suitable" replacement.

Earlier this week CNN thought they had him. They tweeted, "A company related to Republican megadonor Harlan Crow, a longtime friend of Clarence Thomas who paid for lavish trips for the Supreme Court justice and his wife, had business before the Supreme Court in the mid-2000s, records show."

However, CNN’s story destroyed that claim once they got past the headline, admitting that "Crow’s name does not appear in a caption of the case," and "neither Crow nor his company were involved in the matter or discussed it with Thomas."

As a final clincher, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case.

Early this month Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.,  posted a photo of Justice Thomas with Crow and three other men. They’re seen smoking cigars outdoors at a private lodge. Whitehouse said, "A picture worth a thousand words."

First of all, it’s strange that Whitehouse would even choose that particular photo.

He belongs to a private beach club that wouldn’t accept Thomas as either a member or a guest. No Blacks allowed.

Whitehouse then referred to a ProPublica story in which "experts" (some anonymous) claimed Thomas violated his judicial canon of ethics by neglecting to report gifts he received from Crow.

However, U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Thomas Hardiman dismissed ProPublica’s "scandal" claim during a question and answer session following a speech he’d given.

Haediman explained "there was no intimation at any time, ever, that his billionaire friend ever had any business before the Supreme Court. So, how’s he helping his friend? He’s not even in a position to help his friend because his friend had exactly zero cases in the Supreme Court."

Additionally, former Justice Stephen Breyer, a liberal, called Thomas a "man of integrity" in response to the criticism.

But that didn’t stop the demands.

Podcaster Keith Olbermann, formerly of MSNBC, then ESPN, was off the charts.

"Clarence Thomas has to resign," he tweeted. "Today. Before dinner. Now."

Three days later The Hill ran an opinion piece comparing Thomas to a former high court member.

"Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas showed the way," the column explained. "Caught in the midst of a financial scandal, Fortas did the decent thing and resigned rather than continue to embarrass the court and himself. This is one precedent that Thomas, a notorious iconoclast, should follow."

But the two situations aren’t remotely similar. Fortas accepted $20,000 annual cash payments from a man under investigation for securities violations.

Thomas has a wealthy friend who is not under investigation and with no case pending before the court. He invites Thomas places and the two exchange gifts.

Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., with eyes on Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat, made a total off-the-wall claim during an appearance on ABC’s "The View."

"Congress absolutely can and should police the Supreme Court," she said. "Residual power for our government is with Congress."

This is nonsense. Reserved, or residual powers rest with the people and the states.

The federal government is made up of three separate and co-equal branches. But the other two branches — especially congressional Democrats — don’t like to accept that.

That was made pretty clear after Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., invited Chief Justice John Roberts to a May 2 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to discuss the court’s "ethical standards."

Roberts declined Tuesday. But he was nice about it.

During the late 1950s and early 1960s billboards popped up around the country demanding that Congress "Impeach Earl Warren," the court’s then-chief justice.

But it wasn’t Congress or the media making the demand: the billboards were erected by the John Birch Society.

And today’s demands aren’t centered on the chief justice, but at Thomas, which says something about the power they believe he exerts.

But more than power, real or perceived, it must be fun being Clarence Thomas. It’s fun just watching him release one of his trademark booming, infectious laughs as he drives the liberals crazy.

And that’s another fun part — driving them crazy.

Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He is also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and an enthusiastic Second Amendment supporter. Read Michael Dorstewitz's Reports — More Here.

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MichaelDorstewitz
The left has directed most of its rancor at Justice Clarence Thomas, arguably the court’s most reliably conservative and its longest serving member for more than 31 years. They all agree: Thomas has to go.
gorsuch, roe
816
2023-58-28
Friday, 28 April 2023 11:58 AM
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