Clarence Thomas’ resignation would be a first step toward repairing trust in SCOTUS

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 7, 2023 – Last week, Dēmos joined the Alliance for Justice and 65 other organizations calling for Justice Clarence Thomas’ immediate resignation, following revelations that for over 20 years Justice Thomas accepted and failed to report luxury vacations and other gifts from billionaire and rightwing megadonor Harlan Crow, and secretly appeared at fundraisers for the extremist Koch brothers’ donor network.  

“It's a sad day for our democracy when a Supreme Court justice brazenly accepts lavish gifts from and fundraises for organizations dedicated to upholding white supremacy that also have business before the Court,” said Taifa Smith Butler, President of Dēmos. “Make no mistake. Thomas’ actions cannot be divorced from the rulings he and other members of the Court's extremist supermajority have made to roll back our voting rights, undermine racial justice, threaten the separation of powers, and deplete our public goods. Justices are meant to be impartial. His actions and flagrant disregard of ethics requirements have shown he is squarely in the pocket of the wealthy. 

“While Justice Thomas’ actions are particularly egregious, he is part of a long pattern of justices with deep ties to wealthy, far-right donors who use their influence to advance an anti-democratic agenda. As a new SCOTUS term is underway, public trust in the Supreme Court is at a historic low. Thomas’ time in the headlines may come and go, but it’s never too late for court reform. His resignation would be an essential first step toward restoring our trust. But whether or not he resigns, Congress must take swift action on judicial ethics reform. Our nation’s highest court should be held to the highest ethical standards, not offering justice to the highest bidder."