Activists call for the impeachment of Justice Clarence Thomas outside of the U.S. Supreme Court on March 30, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Paul Morigi/Getty Images for MoveOn)
“He has shown he cannot be an impartial justice and is more concerned with covering up his wife’s coup attempts than the health of the Supreme Court,” reads the petition.
JAKE JOHNSON July 3, 2022 (CommonDreams.org)
A petition calling on the Democratic-controlled House to launch impeachment proceedings against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is on the verge of reaching one million signatures, an indication of growing public outrage over the right-wing judge’s proximity to efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his role in the ongoing attack on constitutional freedoms.
The petition, posted to the website of progressive advocacy group MoveOn, currently has more than 989,000 signatures after a surge following the Supreme Court majority’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which ended the constitutional right to abortion.
“He must resign—or Congress must immediately investigate and impeach.”
In his concurring opinion in Dobbs, Thomas plainly stated his desire to reconsider other landmark Supreme Court rulings, including those establishing marriage equality and the right to obtain contraception.
“Thomas—who sided with the majority on overturning Roe—made it clear what’s next: to overturn high court rulings that establish gay rights and contraception rights,” reads the petition. “And if that’s not enough: Recently, Justice Clarence Thomas voted against a Supreme Court decision to compel the release of Donald Trump’s records regarding the January 6 insurrection and attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.”
The petition also spotlights recent reporting exposing Thomas’ wife Ginni’s role in attempts to invalidate the 2020 election and keep former President Donald Trump in power. Despite his wife’s efforts, which have drawn scrutiny from the House January 6 committee, Thomas did not recuse himself from Supreme Court cases involving the 2020 election.
“Thomas’ failure to recuse himself warrants immediate investigation and heightened alarm,” the petition states. “And it’s only the latest in a long history of conflicts of interest in the service of a right-wing agenda and mixing his powerful role with his conservative political activism. He has shown he cannot be an impartial justice and is more concerned with covering up his wife’s coup attempts than the health of the Supreme Court.”
“He must resign—or Congress must immediately investigate and impeach,” adds the petition, which is titled “Impeach Justice Clarence Thomas.”
