Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), the firebrand head of the so-called progressive “Squad” in the House, is demanding that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas recuse himself from the case regarding whether former President Donald Trump can remain on the ballot in Colorado.
AOC, as Ocasio-Cortez is colloquially known, believes that Thomas has a real conflict of interest in the case, as she claimed that he and his wife directly participated in the Jan. 6 protests.
“It’s very clear: Clarence Thomas and, rather, his wife, Ginni, participated in the events of Jan. 6, and now what is likely coming before the Supreme Court is a judgment as to whether an event that his wife participated in, that his wife has been investigated by in the Jan. 6 committee, qualifies as an insurrection,” Ocasio-Cortez said while sitting for an interview with Anderson Cooper on CNN Monday.
Because a decision that Thomas makes in the case “would directly implicate his wife,” regardless of how he rules, Ocasio-Cortez believes that it presents as one of the more “textbook conflicts of interest.”
A group of eight Democrats led by Ocasio-Cortez sent a letter to Thomas last week, writing that his wife was “instrumental in planning” the Jan. 6 protests, which led to “bringing the insurrectionists to the Capitol.”
Justice Thomas has already recused himself from John Eastman's case due to his wife's role in planning the Jan. 6 insurrection.
For that same reason, he MUST recuse himself from Trump's Colorado ballot case as well.
The credibility of the Court depends on it. pic.twitter.com/Xy0R6F9sSy
— Daniel Goldman (@danielsgoldman) January 8, 2024
Because of this, the Democrats believe that Thomas should have no say in the outcome of the case before the Supreme Court, since it directly relates to whether Trump participated in an insurrection or not for his role in the Jan. 6 protests.
The Colorado Supreme Court barred Trump from appearing on the presidential primary ballot in the state, siding with petitioners who believe he participated in an insurrection and, as a result, should be barred from running for public office due to a clause in the 14th Amendment.
Trump’s legal team has appealed that case, which is how it ended up in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.
The former president was also barred from the presidential primary in Maine, and other states are considering whether he should be banned.
