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Legal Experts Say Justice Thomas Should Recuse Himself From Jan. 6th Cases

Mar 30, 2022

Nina Totenberg, NPR's legal affairs correspondent, dives into the ethical quagmire surrounding Justice Clarence Thomas amid his wife Ginni's controversial political activism. The discussion highlights Ginni's fervent support for Trump and her promotion of false election claims. Legal experts weigh in on why Justice Thomas should recuse himself from January 6th cases, emphasizing the pressing need for stricter ethical standards in the judiciary. This intriguing dialogue uncovers the intersection of personal politics and judicial integrity.

10:03

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Nina Totenberg

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Episode notes

Intro

4min

The Intersection of Personal Politics and Judicial Ethics

2min

Judicial Ethics and Conflicts of Interest

2min

Ethical Dilemmas Surrounding Judicial Recusal in High-Profile Cases

3min

Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, is a longtime conservative activist who has been public about her views and support of former President Donald Trump. And text messages that surfaced last week showed that she went as far as peddling falsehoods about the 2020 election directly to former White House staff and urging them to overturn President Joe Biden's victory.

Earlier this year, Clarence Thomas was the sole dissenter as the Supreme Court ruled to give a House select committee investigating the January 6th attack access to White House communications during that period.

NPR's Nina Totenberg reports on why this possible conflict of interest is a true dilemma for the court and spoke with legal experts about what should happen next.

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