Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas takes on side job: fixer for Trump's judicial nominees
newsdepo.com
Neomi Rao, the Russian asset's nominee to fill the vacancy on the D.C. Circuit Court created by alleged sexual assaulter Brett Kavanaugh's elevation to the Supreme Court, was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. That vote was in question iSupreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas takes on side job: fixer for Trump's judicial nominees
Neomi Rao, the Russian asset's nominee to fill the vacancy on the D.C. Circuit Court created by alleged sexual assaulter Brett Kavanaugh's elevation to the Supreme Court, was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. That vote was in question in part because of the concerns of freshman Sen. Josh Hawley, Missouri's latest insult to the American body politic. Hawley, a former attorney general, is anxious to make his extremist creds on the Hill, so he wanted to make sure that Rao wasn't going to be all soft on Roe v. Wade, among other issues, and whether her extremist legal bona fides were in order. Enter Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who has been «working behind the scenes to boost the prospects» of Rao, and has spoken «privately with at least two Republican senators as she faces a contentious confirmation fight.» He's also been in touch with Sen. Tim Scott. The Republican from South Carolina has derailed a previous nominee because of racist statements in that nominee’s past, and Thomas apparently wanted to make sure Scott was going to be in line on this one. It sounds like Thomas reached out on his own accord. «He called me and wanted just to share with me his positive experience and how smart she was,» Scott said. Scott, who is not on the Judiciary Committee, says he's still undecided on the nomination. The larger question, of course, is whether a Supreme Court justice should be getting involved at this granular a level in politics. Can he do this? Sure. Stephen Gillers, expert in judicial ethics at New York University's law school, «said the code of conduct allows judges to participate in the selection process, including responding to 'official inquiries' concerning candidates.» It's worth noting at this point that the judicial code of conduct actually doesn't apply to the Supreme Court. But it's also worth noting that this doesn't appear to be Thomas responding to official inquiries; he seems to be cold-calling senators. Just a reminder for everyone who cares about the courts to think about the fact that lifetime judicial appointments don't necessarily have to be lifetime. Judges can be impeached. Also, the judicial code of ethics needs to extend to the Supreme Court. Read more