U.S. Supreme Court: Post-Ginsburg Edition

Ginni really needs to be stopped but the mechanics of that remain sketchy

she's fucked up but not on scotus. we put a guy there. the mechanics of that are even sketchier. (not galaxy brain i know)

they could fall into some kind of booby trapped pit filled with sharpened spikes on one of their vacations, the mechanics of that are pretty straightforward

pointed critique taken to heart(s)

I am shocked, shocked at the latest Clarence Thomas revelations.

https://i.imgur.com/eM7omfn.jpg

Thomas to everyone: "Drop dead."

Harlan and Kathy Crow are among our dearest friends, and we have been friends for over twenty-five years. As friends do, we have joined them on a number of family trips during the more than quarter century we have known them. Early in my tenure at the Court, I sought guidance from my colleagues and others in the judiciary, and was advised that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends, who did not have business before the Court, was not reportable. I have endeavored to follow that counsel throughout my tenure, and have always sought to comply with the disclosure guidelines. These guidelines are now being changed, as the committee of the Judicial Conference responsible for financial disclosure for the entire federal judiciary just this past month announced new guidance. And, it is, of course, my intent to follow this guidance in the future.

tbf I don't think you actually have to give Thomas anything to get him to keep making shitty votes

My initial question when this story broke was whether Crow did in fact have any connection to any case before the Court. Of course Thomas is going to say no, but that's not sufficient.

The fact that he's even responding shows he knows this isn't a good look.

This is the first SCOTUS-related story in eons that broke through the mainstream media scrim of THE COURT IS INVIOLATE WHOA NELLY. Maybe Nina Totenberg said something over cocktails last night.

Somebody said, maybe here, that the corruption isn’t necessarily in the vote but in attention to certain details to the benefit of his pals. Somebody also connected this to SCOTUS’ ruling in the Bob McDonnell case that McDonnell got off cause the Court members routinely do what McDonnell did and sees no problem.

I expect this is not far beyond norms, still the law is quite clear. Disclose, asshole.

I expect this is not far beyond norms, still the law is quite clear. Disclose, asshole.

Color me shocked that Thomas felt compelled to defend himself at all.

Color me shocked that Thomas felt compelled to defend himself at all.

Whoops I guess double posting is going around.

I hate this fucking country.

I can't totally hate the USA. It has some nice features, e.g. the National Parks, but its politics never has been one of them and it ain't even close.

pic.twitter.com/196C7QIUwd

— Peter Manseau (@plmanseau) April 9, 2023

Only for lack of money.

— Brent Orrell (@OrrellAEI) April 9, 2023

It's hilarious to watch all these so-called moderate conservatives line up to excuse this shitbag. For all I know, he may not even be a full-on nazi, but who gaf?

Well anyone who works for the AEI is going to defend him cause he’s on their board.

not to mention The Dispatch, i.e. this choad:

I have spent 7+ years arguing that Donald Trump is a disastrous, sinister, and corrupting figure in our politics and that “character is destiny.”

So if you’re telling me I’m defending Harlan Crow because of my partisanship you don’t know anything about me.

Harlan is a good…

— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) April 8, 2023

In 2011, Justice Thomas filed amendments to claim 13 years of unreported income for Ginni Thomas despite checking a box each year indicating Ginni Thomas had “no reportable non-investment income.”

The income came from The Heritage Foundation and Hillsdale College. pic.twitter.com/ufpGt0Mnqn

— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) April 10, 2023

the obama-era efforts to rehab his intellectual stature seem even more bizarre in retrospect

I don't know if it was rehab so much as a spotlight: "Hey, look, this guy is dangerous and the clever legal minds of the right know it." That's what I concluded from Corey Robin's book.

Clarence Thomas and torture memo author John Yoo discuss Harlan Crow. via @cspan pic.twitter.com/DrXHbgHyzu

— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) April 6, 2023

only the best of humanity

Is there like a sign up in all the newsrooms to call John Yoo if you're writing a story about Clarence Thomas's corruption? Is he super easy to reach?

— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) April 10, 2023

Asking the Republican-appointed Chief Justice who exempted the Justices from the Dobbs leak investigation to investigate Thomas’s corruption, rather than doing it yourself, is so deeply unserious. I’m surprised Dem Senators were willing to pass the buck so brazenly. https://t.co/W0hhLHmVvf

— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) April 11, 2023

I don't know if it's an attempt to say later, "Well, we gave you a chance to do it yourself, now we gotta do it."

Roberts seems to have zero pull with Thomas and Alito. Not much with the others as well I'd imagine.

The power of Congress to investigate the conduct of a Supreme Court justice is inherent in its constitutional power to impeach and dismiss justices. So, yes, letting Roberts be in charge is buck passing pure and simple.

After last week’s bombshell ProPublica report on Justice Thomas’ undisclosed gifts, I said the Senate Judiciary Committee will act.

We’ll start with a hearing.

And if the Court does not finally resolve this issue on its own, @JudiciaryDems will consider legislation to fix it. https://t.co/v07suRnoU4

— Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) April 11, 2023

Don't make us consider legislation.

With Republicans controlling the House, no legislation is possible. They will hold hearings. Your proposal?

I don't remember if the Constitution awards the Senate sole power over SCOTUS-related matters.

Same as for presidents, any articles of impeachment against a justice must be passed by the House, trial happens in the Senate. But that provision shouldn't limit the power to investigate conduct solely to the House.

Durbin is also still following that Senate procedure where senators from a state where a district court judge is based get to say yay or nay on a judicial nomination. So Republicans have been blocking nominations. There’s also a 5th Circuit spot that Biden hasn’t nominated anyone for yet , and Durbin isn’t encouraging him to do so

Your proposal?

I'm not actually a President, you know

No, the blue chip rule is fucking bullshit.

that blue chip rule is the sort of thing that happens in a clubby, pseudo-aristocratic atmosphere where everyone is pretending to be "a gentleman"

aka the Senate

half of them stopped pretending but the other half pretended not to notice

this exactly

sometimes i wonder if these guys are altogether on the up and up?

NEW:

Harlan Crow paid Thomas for property.

The law explicitly requires disclosure of property sales.

Thomas didn't disclose anything.

Here's Thomas' signature on the undisclosed deal.https://t.co/zC7JGm1l10

By @JustinElliott @js_kaplan & @Amierjeski pic.twitter.com/0tQ1O1FhbY

— Eric Umansky (@ericuman) April 13, 2023

I don't know. Did you ever think that disclosing things makes Clarence Thomas feel bad? Ease off, people.

I love to sell property to my friends. I do it all the time.

“He now owned the house where the justice’s elderly mother was living.”

Don’t miss the strangest part of this story: Thomas sold his mother’s home and MADE HARLAN CROW HIS MOTHER’S LANDLORD. https://t.co/4S3jlRPh7z

— Dr. Thrasher (@thrasherxy) April 13, 2023