Associate U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas sits with his wife, conservative activist Virginia Thomas, while he waits to speak at the Heritage Foundation on October 21, 2021 in Washington, D.C.
New Revelations Show Ginni Thomas 'Very Much a Part of Seditious Conspiracy'
New reporting shows wife of Supreme Court Justice pushed at least 29 Arizona lawmakers to overturn 2020 election results.
Ginni Thomas, the right-wing activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, lobbied far more Arizona state lawmakers than previously known to try to overturn the state's 2020 election results--a revelation that reignited calls on Friday for Justice Thomas to recuse himself from cases related to the election.
"As obvious as the symmetry between Clarence and Ginni Thomas' work was three weeks ago, it's even more glaring now."
In addition to emailing two state representatives in November and December 2020, calling on them to "choose" electors who would grant former President Donald Trump a victory in the state, Thomas used a platform called FreeRoots.com to call on 27 other state lawmakers to put aside President Joe Biden's victory. The Washington Post, which first reported the news, obtained the emails Thomas sent via Arizona's public records law.
On November 9, as part of a campaign organized by Every Legal Vote--a group that has supported Trump's "Big Lie" that the election was stolen from him--Thomas sent an email saying the lawmakers must "stand strong in the face of political and media pressure" and claiming they had the "power to fight back against fraud."
"The wife of a sitting Supreme Court justice was very much a part of the seditious conspiracy" that culminated in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, said Democratic strategist Sawyer Hackett on Friday in response to the new reporting.
Prior to the January 6 rally--which she briefly attended--Thomas also wrote to 22 state House members and one state senator on December 13, a day before they were scheduled to count their votes, warning them to "consider what will happen to the nation we all love if you don't stand up and lead."
"Never before in our nation's history have our elections been so threatened by fraud and unconstitutional procedures," Thomas wrote.
When the letters to two lawmakers were reported by the Post last month, U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) was among the critics who said Thomas's efforts to keep Trump in office represented a "conflict of interest."
Thomas's husband was the lone dissenter earlier this year when the court rejected Trump's bid to block the release of presidential records regarding the January 6 insurrection.
The Thomases have long claimed that they keep their work separate from one another, but journalist Mark Joseph Stern said Friday, "As obvious as the symmetry between Clarence and Ginni Thomas' work was three weeks ago, it's even more glaring now."
Thomas's lobbying of 29 state lawmakers to overrule the will of Arizona voters represented "a completely egregious attack on democracy by the wife of a sitting SCOTUS justice," tweeted Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.).
Friday's revelations come two-and-a-half months after the Post and CBS News obtained text messages that Thomas sent to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in the weeks following the election, calling on him to "save us from the left taking America down."
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) issued a "friendly reminder that Ginni Thomas has a government position and absolutely should not," referring to her position on the Library of Congress Trust Fund Board, to which Trump appointed her.
"Her egregious actions to push the White House Chief of Staff and others to overturn a free and fair election make her a threat to democracy and should disqualify her for any role of public trust at the Library of Congress or anywhere else in government," said CREW in April.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Ginni Thomas, the right-wing activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, lobbied far more Arizona state lawmakers than previously known to try to overturn the state's 2020 election results--a revelation that reignited calls on Friday for Justice Thomas to recuse himself from cases related to the election.
"As obvious as the symmetry between Clarence and Ginni Thomas' work was three weeks ago, it's even more glaring now."
In addition to emailing two state representatives in November and December 2020, calling on them to "choose" electors who would grant former President Donald Trump a victory in the state, Thomas used a platform called FreeRoots.com to call on 27 other state lawmakers to put aside President Joe Biden's victory. The Washington Post, which first reported the news, obtained the emails Thomas sent via Arizona's public records law.
On November 9, as part of a campaign organized by Every Legal Vote--a group that has supported Trump's "Big Lie" that the election was stolen from him--Thomas sent an email saying the lawmakers must "stand strong in the face of political and media pressure" and claiming they had the "power to fight back against fraud."
"The wife of a sitting Supreme Court justice was very much a part of the seditious conspiracy" that culminated in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, said Democratic strategist Sawyer Hackett on Friday in response to the new reporting.
Prior to the January 6 rally--which she briefly attended--Thomas also wrote to 22 state House members and one state senator on December 13, a day before they were scheduled to count their votes, warning them to "consider what will happen to the nation we all love if you don't stand up and lead."
"Never before in our nation's history have our elections been so threatened by fraud and unconstitutional procedures," Thomas wrote.
When the letters to two lawmakers were reported by the Post last month, U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) was among the critics who said Thomas's efforts to keep Trump in office represented a "conflict of interest."
Thomas's husband was the lone dissenter earlier this year when the court rejected Trump's bid to block the release of presidential records regarding the January 6 insurrection.
The Thomases have long claimed that they keep their work separate from one another, but journalist Mark Joseph Stern said Friday, "As obvious as the symmetry between Clarence and Ginni Thomas' work was three weeks ago, it's even more glaring now."
Thomas's lobbying of 29 state lawmakers to overrule the will of Arizona voters represented "a completely egregious attack on democracy by the wife of a sitting SCOTUS justice," tweeted Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.).
Friday's revelations come two-and-a-half months after the Post and CBS News obtained text messages that Thomas sent to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in the weeks following the election, calling on him to "save us from the left taking America down."
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) issued a "friendly reminder that Ginni Thomas has a government position and absolutely should not," referring to her position on the Library of Congress Trust Fund Board, to which Trump appointed her.
"Her egregious actions to push the White House Chief of Staff and others to overturn a free and fair election make her a threat to democracy and should disqualify her for any role of public trust at the Library of Congress or anywhere else in government," said CREW in April.
- Faith Leaders Say Jan. 6 Committee Report Downplays Role of Christian Nationalism ›
- Wife of Chief Justice Causes Latest Ethics Concerns at US Supreme Court ›
- Opinion | A Few Words to Clarence and Ginni Thomas From Lady MacBeth in Hell | Common Dreams ›
- Opinion | New Revelations Show Just How Corrupt the Supreme Court Really Is | Common Dreams ›
Ginni Thomas, the right-wing activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, lobbied far more Arizona state lawmakers than previously known to try to overturn the state's 2020 election results--a revelation that reignited calls on Friday for Justice Thomas to recuse himself from cases related to the election.
"As obvious as the symmetry between Clarence and Ginni Thomas' work was three weeks ago, it's even more glaring now."
In addition to emailing two state representatives in November and December 2020, calling on them to "choose" electors who would grant former President Donald Trump a victory in the state, Thomas used a platform called FreeRoots.com to call on 27 other state lawmakers to put aside President Joe Biden's victory. The Washington Post, which first reported the news, obtained the emails Thomas sent via Arizona's public records law.
On November 9, as part of a campaign organized by Every Legal Vote--a group that has supported Trump's "Big Lie" that the election was stolen from him--Thomas sent an email saying the lawmakers must "stand strong in the face of political and media pressure" and claiming they had the "power to fight back against fraud."
"The wife of a sitting Supreme Court justice was very much a part of the seditious conspiracy" that culminated in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, said Democratic strategist Sawyer Hackett on Friday in response to the new reporting.
Prior to the January 6 rally--which she briefly attended--Thomas also wrote to 22 state House members and one state senator on December 13, a day before they were scheduled to count their votes, warning them to "consider what will happen to the nation we all love if you don't stand up and lead."
"Never before in our nation's history have our elections been so threatened by fraud and unconstitutional procedures," Thomas wrote.
When the letters to two lawmakers were reported by the Post last month, U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) was among the critics who said Thomas's efforts to keep Trump in office represented a "conflict of interest."
Thomas's husband was the lone dissenter earlier this year when the court rejected Trump's bid to block the release of presidential records regarding the January 6 insurrection.
The Thomases have long claimed that they keep their work separate from one another, but journalist Mark Joseph Stern said Friday, "As obvious as the symmetry between Clarence and Ginni Thomas' work was three weeks ago, it's even more glaring now."
Thomas's lobbying of 29 state lawmakers to overrule the will of Arizona voters represented "a completely egregious attack on democracy by the wife of a sitting SCOTUS justice," tweeted Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.).
Friday's revelations come two-and-a-half months after the Post and CBS News obtained text messages that Thomas sent to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in the weeks following the election, calling on him to "save us from the left taking America down."
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) issued a "friendly reminder that Ginni Thomas has a government position and absolutely should not," referring to her position on the Library of Congress Trust Fund Board, to which Trump appointed her.
"Her egregious actions to push the White House Chief of Staff and others to overturn a free and fair election make her a threat to democracy and should disqualify her for any role of public trust at the Library of Congress or anywhere else in government," said CREW in April.
- Faith Leaders Say Jan. 6 Committee Report Downplays Role of Christian Nationalism ›
- Wife of Chief Justice Causes Latest Ethics Concerns at US Supreme Court ›
- Opinion | A Few Words to Clarence and Ginni Thomas From Lady MacBeth in Hell | Common Dreams ›
- Opinion | New Revelations Show Just How Corrupt the Supreme Court Really Is | Common Dreams ›