Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Richard Durbin (D-IL) is calling for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to remove himself from an upcoming case.
The request comes after a recent report that claimed Thomas attended donor events for billionaires Charles and David Koch.
Senate Judiciary chairman calls for Justice Thomas to recuse in key case over executive overreach https://t.co/KdsqpyKGDz
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) September 22, 2023
“Once again, Justice Thomas’s gaggle of fawning billionaires expands and their influence on the Court grows larger,” Durbin said in a statement.
“The Koch brothers are the architects of one of the largest, most successful political operations in history, aimed at influencing all levels of government and the courts. Justice Thomas hid the extent of his involvement with the Koch political network and never reported gifts associated with these engagements," he added.
I’m calling on Justice Thomas to recuse himself from consideration of Loper Bright v. Raimondo.
He hid the extent of his involvement with the Koch brothers’ political network, which has spent tremendous capital to overturn longstanding legal precedent before the Court next term.
— Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) September 23, 2023
Durbin also took to social media to continue his ongoing campaign against the conservative justice.
"I’m calling on Justice Thomas to recuse himself from consideration of Loper Bright v. Raimondo," Durbin tweeted.
"He hid the extent of his involvement with the Koch brothers’ political network, which has spent tremendous capital to overturn longstanding legal precedent before the Court next term," he claimed.
Clarence Thomas scandals are getting 'worse and worse by the day,' Sen. Dick Durbin says https://t.co/RlMHoJMD4p
— Tom Williams (@tommyboy0690) May 10, 2023
“The conclusion most people would reach is that this tangled web around Justice Clarence Thomas just gets worse and worse by the day,” Durbin said on CNN’s “State of the Union” in May.
“I don’t know what’s going to come up next. I thought I’d heard it all," he added.
Durbin's criticisms against Thomas have continued for months, making many allegations against the longtime justice over ethical issues.
So far, none of the reports have included evidence that includes illegal activities. Instead, the smear campaign appears focused on associations that show Thomas in a negative manner.
Durbin's work to fight the justice instead appears to point out the senator's own bias as Democrats seek an advantage in the current conservative-majority Supreme Court after former President Donald Trump appointed three justices during his four years in the White House.
