Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (click here for video) refuses to recuse himself in a blatantly corrupt move, called out a watchdog group, for a New York case that notorious right-wing benefactor, Harlan Crow, could directly benefit from. Rayyvana and Sen. Nina Turner break it down on The Damage Report.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court will begin hearing arguments in a case brought by payday lenders who are challenging the funding mechanism for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The case could result in the death of the agency, which was created after the Great Recession to protect consumers from fraud and predatory practices, and also threatens to disrupt the funding mechanism for a wide range of other government programs that are crucial to the financial health of the U.S.
According to new research by the Revolving Door Project, Thomas has a number of deep connections with groups who have been trying to kill the agency since before it was even established....
...The relationship between Thomas and the Koch Network (click here) is as straightforward as it comes. Thomas serves as encouragement for donors to funnel more money into the lean, anti-green machine in exchange for lavish gifts such as trips and private jet rides.
This affair started in 2010, where attendees of the summit received an invitation that boasted about Thomas’s presence at a previous summit.
So, Thomas has a little political sugar momma. So what?
What makes this issue so important to the American judicial system is the political influence and potential corruption that it raises.
The Koch Network has brought many cases before the Supreme Court, including Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Rodriquez in 2021, a case that debated the rights of organizations to keep the names of their donors a secret.
In this case, Thomas sided with the majority conservative vote, and the case was thrown out in favor of the Koch network on a 6-3 majority.
The plot thickens.
The Koch Network stands as one of the most significant and influential political entities of the past fifty years, actively supporting an extensive campaign to shape the direction of American legislation.
For this term, the Supreme Court’s docket features several cases where the justices have the potential to grant the network a monumental win, curbing the authority of federal agencies to enact regulations across various domains, including environmental regulations, labor rights and consumer protection....
The fact that Thomas, a justice with so much influential power within the court, has been exposed for having personal ties to the Koch Network is extremely troubling....
Recusals aren't supposed to be a selective process to satisfy a political agenda. An insurgent is an insurgent no matter what form it takes.
October 2, 2023By Erin Snodgrass
After months of media scrutiny, (click here) Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas recused himself for the first time from a matter regarding the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack.
But the conservative justice's decision to withdraw his voice from the court's decision may have been an easy one due to the appeal's lacking legal merits, an expert on the Supreme Court told Insider....
...Thomas has previously faced calls to recuse himself from matters before the court concerning the January 6 attack and 2020 presidential election after his wife, Virginia "Ginny" Thomas, supported Trump's efforts to overturn the election.
Earlier this year, when the Supreme Court rejected Trump's bid to keep White House documents out of the hands of the January 6 committee, Thomas chose not to recuse himself and offered the court's lone vote in support of Trump.
The court's Monday decision comes months after a series of ProPublica reports alleged a pattern of ethical misconduct by Thomas, including accusations he accepted and failed to disclose several luxury vacations from top GOP donor Harlan Crow.
A Bloomberg law analysis from February found Thomas was the justice who recused himself the least....
