Clarence Thomas cannot be allowed to decide if Trump is above the law

It's safe to say that DC Federal Circuit doesn't often craft plots that work as movie thrillers. Take a look at the document You'll see an alphabet soup of cases involving the IRS, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, National Labor Relations Board, and Federal Communications Commission.

So it was quite shocking to hear the judge and lawyers in court earlier this month Let's analyze this crazy scenario. The President of the United States orders SEAL Team 6 to assassinate a political opponent. The suspense depends on whether the president will be criminally charged, or whether he will be acquitted because he will not be prosecuted.

This is the hypothetical situation that Judge Florence Pan presented to Donald Trump's lawyers, who are desperately trying to claim immunity from prosecution for the January 6, 2021, riot. The lawyer – incredibly – couldn't give a straight answer. And the Trump team's argument was complete immunity for the president. met with skepticismIncredibly, from three judges on the D.C. Circuit.

Next stop: Supreme Court — Analysts say the incident is likely to end up there. Regardless of how the DC circuit rules.

If so, Justice Clarence Thomas would have to resign himself.

It is well known that Thomas' wife, Gini, was thinking deeply. clearlyAnd there is no way that anything Clarence Thomas did or said about the rebellion could not seem to be tainted by it.

It was tempting to hope that Thomas would set a precedent for himself last fall when he recused himself from a separate case related to Jan. 6. President Trump's lawyer John Eastman was involved in the case.His complaint that the commission on January 6 reviewed his professional opinion and released him.rebel mail It tarnished his reputation. (Sorry, I can't really sympathize here.)

However, everyone knows that Eastman served as Thomas's clerk, so this incident was a minor incident in the grand scheme of things.

Since then, Thomas should have retreated — But I didn’t — Another case is currently in court, which will determine whether Trump can be removed from the state's ballot.Among other things, the case hinges on whether President Trump can be said to have engaged in an illegal effort to overturn the election: the very thing that at least one of the Thomases supported. for.

And the sad fact is that, despite events of such existential importance in Trump's world, there is little on Thomas' record to suggest he would step down now.

there's his stuff thereRelaxed attitude towards judicial ethics combined with requirements Republican love for billionaires And their yachts, planes, and parties.

Although several supporters and lawmakers are resisting, ask him to resignfor Justice Department to investigate for him Congress to pass binding code of conduct This is to stop Thomas from making the ethical mistakes he keeps making.

The fact is that Thomas was The only Supreme Court justice to support Trump's effort This is to prevent White House records from being shared with the congressional committees investigating January 6th.

And he clearly has a willingness to ignore. code of conduct The Supreme Court recently issued a decision that includes a requirement not only to avoid fraud, but also to avoid the appearance of fraud.

Pressure should be put on Thomas to remind him that any appearance of wrongdoing is enough to undermine public trust. Only the Thomases know what private conversations they had about the 2020 election. But trust is the currency our justice system trades in, and Thomas already has very little in the bank. If he fails to recuse himself from his ruling on Trump's immunity suit, the bank will fail, with dire consequences for not only his reputation.

You need to remember this. Trump won't stop He is trying every means possible, legal and illegal, to regain power and escape responsibility for January 6th. His success or failure will not only determine the fate of our democracy, but also how the story of our time will ultimately be told.

Will our children's history books teach that January 6th was a violent and failed attempt to undermine our democracy, or will the far-right revisionists As you say–“patriot” and stormed the Capitol and suffered unjust persecution? The latter prospect is frightening.

All these questions about our future as a nation are currently being decided. Judge Thomas is too ethically compromised for him to have anything to do with it.

Mr. Svante Myrick american people.