SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) speaks in the House of Representatives on July 12, 2022.
(Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Raskin: Thomas 'Absolutely Should Recuse' in Trump 2024 Case
"The question is what do we do if he doesn't recuse himself," the Maryland Democrat said.
Dec 31, 2023
Amid expectations that the right-wing U.S. Supreme Court will soon consider legal arguments that former President Donald Trump should be disqualified from 2024 Republican primary ballots, Democratic Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin on Sunday called for Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from any such cases.
Raskin—a constitutional scholar and the lead Trump impeachment manager after the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol—appeared on CNN's "State of the Union" to discuss claims that the Republican is not qualified to hold office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution after inciting an insurrection.
Thomas isn't one of the court's three justices appointed by the twice-impeached former president, but his wife, Ginni Thomas, participated in the far-right effort to obstruct the certification of the 2020 election that Trump lost to Joe Biden, the Democratic president who is now seeking reelection next year.
After CNN's Dana Bash asked about potential recusals, Raskin responded, "I think anybody looking at this in any kind of dispassionate, reasonable way would say if your wife was involved in the Big Lie and claiming that Donald Trump had actually won the presidential election and been agitating for that and participating in the events leading up to January 6, that you shouldn't be participating."
"He absolutely should recuse himself," added Raskin, ranking member of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, echoing a recent letter from other Democrats in Congress. "The question is what do we do if he doesn't recuse himself."
Raskin also discussed the nonbinding Code of Conduct that the court unveiled last month—amid mounting public pressure and concerns about right-wing justices taking gifts from wealthy Republican donors—and the 14th Amendment argument about Trump, referencing an August essay from a pair of conservative legal scholars.
In a case brought by a watchdog group and legal team representing GOP and unaffiliated voters, the Colorado Supreme Court earlier this month barred Trump from the state's 2024 primary ballot. Both the state's Republican Party and those behind the case have asked for an expedited review by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Maine voters also challenged formally challenged Trump's eligibility, leading Democratic Secretary of State Shenna Bellows on Thursday to bar Trump from next year's primary ballot. The recent developments have led to a surge in threats against Bellows and her Colorado counterpart, Democrat Jena Griswold.
If Trump—who is also facing various criminal cases—wins the Republican nomination but loses the 2024 general election, he will try to reverse the results again, Raskin warned Sunday.
"Donald Trump can strike the pose of the martyr in any given context," he said. "If he's allowed to stay on the ballot, despite his clear incitement of an insurrection and attempt to overturn the results in the 2020 election, and he loses to Joe Biden... he will feel himself a martyr there, and he will try to overturn the election result again."
"So I don't think we can run scared from Donald Trump," Raskin argued. "We have got to enforce our Constitution. And that certainly was the design of the framers, and that's what they would have us do."
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 |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
14th amendmentclarence thomascoloradoelection 2024jamie raskinjan 6 insurrectionmainerepublican partyus supreme court
Amid expectations that the right-wing U.S. Supreme Court will soon consider legal arguments that former President Donald Trump should be disqualified from 2024 Republican primary ballots, Democratic Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin on Sunday called for Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from any such cases.
Raskin—a constitutional scholar and the lead Trump impeachment manager after the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol—appeared on CNN's "State of the Union" to discuss claims that the Republican is not qualified to hold office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution after inciting an insurrection.
Thomas isn't one of the court's three justices appointed by the twice-impeached former president, but his wife, Ginni Thomas, participated in the far-right effort to obstruct the certification of the 2020 election that Trump lost to Joe Biden, the Democratic president who is now seeking reelection next year.
After CNN's Dana Bash asked about potential recusals, Raskin responded, "I think anybody looking at this in any kind of dispassionate, reasonable way would say if your wife was involved in the Big Lie and claiming that Donald Trump had actually won the presidential election and been agitating for that and participating in the events leading up to January 6, that you shouldn't be participating."
"He absolutely should recuse himself," added Raskin, ranking member of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, echoing a recent letter from other Democrats in Congress. "The question is what do we do if he doesn't recuse himself."
Raskin also discussed the nonbinding Code of Conduct that the court unveiled last month—amid mounting public pressure and concerns about right-wing justices taking gifts from wealthy Republican donors—and the 14th Amendment argument about Trump, referencing an August essay from a pair of conservative legal scholars.
In a case brought by a watchdog group and legal team representing GOP and unaffiliated voters, the Colorado Supreme Court earlier this month barred Trump from the state's 2024 primary ballot. Both the state's Republican Party and those behind the case have asked for an expedited review by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Maine voters also challenged formally challenged Trump's eligibility, leading Democratic Secretary of State Shenna Bellows on Thursday to bar Trump from next year's primary ballot. The recent developments have led to a surge in threats against Bellows and her Colorado counterpart, Democrat Jena Griswold.
If Trump—who is also facing various criminal cases—wins the Republican nomination but loses the 2024 general election, he will try to reverse the results again, Raskin warned Sunday.
"Donald Trump can strike the pose of the martyr in any given context," he said. "If he's allowed to stay on the ballot, despite his clear incitement of an insurrection and attempt to overturn the results in the 2020 election, and he loses to Joe Biden... he will feel himself a martyr there, and he will try to overturn the election result again."
"So I don't think we can run scared from Donald Trump," Raskin argued. "We have got to enforce our Constitution. And that certainly was the design of the framers, and that's what they would have us do."
From Your Site Articles
- 'A Travesty': Clarence Thomas Refuses to Recuse in Case That Could Benefit Billionaire Benefactor ›
- Voters Request Expedited SCOTUS Review of Colorado Trump Case ›
- 'Corrupt as Hell': Demands for Clarence Thomas to Resign Follow New Details of Wife's Election Scheming ›
- Fresh Call to Impeach Clarence Thomas After Latest Ruling on Jan. 6 Insurrection ›
- 'Do the Honorable Thing': House Dems Urge Clarence Thomas to Recuse in Trump Case ›
- Illinois, Massachusetts Voters Join Fight to Bar Trump From Ballots ›
- Clarence Thomas Told He 'Must Recuse' in Trump 14th Amendment Case ›
- Opinion | The Supreme Court Won't Save Us From Trump So We'll Have to Beat Him at the Ballot—Again | Common Dreams ›
- Opinion | Meet Clarence Thomas’ Likely Successor If Trump Gets a 2nd Term | Common Dreams ›
Amid expectations that the right-wing U.S. Supreme Court will soon consider legal arguments that former President Donald Trump should be disqualified from 2024 Republican primary ballots, Democratic Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin on Sunday called for Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from any such cases.
Raskin—a constitutional scholar and the lead Trump impeachment manager after the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol—appeared on CNN's "State of the Union" to discuss claims that the Republican is not qualified to hold office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution after inciting an insurrection.
Thomas isn't one of the court's three justices appointed by the twice-impeached former president, but his wife, Ginni Thomas, participated in the far-right effort to obstruct the certification of the 2020 election that Trump lost to Joe Biden, the Democratic president who is now seeking reelection next year.
After CNN's Dana Bash asked about potential recusals, Raskin responded, "I think anybody looking at this in any kind of dispassionate, reasonable way would say if your wife was involved in the Big Lie and claiming that Donald Trump had actually won the presidential election and been agitating for that and participating in the events leading up to January 6, that you shouldn't be participating."
"He absolutely should recuse himself," added Raskin, ranking member of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, echoing a recent letter from other Democrats in Congress. "The question is what do we do if he doesn't recuse himself."
Raskin also discussed the nonbinding Code of Conduct that the court unveiled last month—amid mounting public pressure and concerns about right-wing justices taking gifts from wealthy Republican donors—and the 14th Amendment argument about Trump, referencing an August essay from a pair of conservative legal scholars.
In a case brought by a watchdog group and legal team representing GOP and unaffiliated voters, the Colorado Supreme Court earlier this month barred Trump from the state's 2024 primary ballot. Both the state's Republican Party and those behind the case have asked for an expedited review by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Maine voters also challenged formally challenged Trump's eligibility, leading Democratic Secretary of State Shenna Bellows on Thursday to bar Trump from next year's primary ballot. The recent developments have led to a surge in threats against Bellows and her Colorado counterpart, Democrat Jena Griswold.
If Trump—who is also facing various criminal cases—wins the Republican nomination but loses the 2024 general election, he will try to reverse the results again, Raskin warned Sunday.
"Donald Trump can strike the pose of the martyr in any given context," he said. "If he's allowed to stay on the ballot, despite his clear incitement of an insurrection and attempt to overturn the results in the 2020 election, and he loses to Joe Biden... he will feel himself a martyr there, and he will try to overturn the election result again."
"So I don't think we can run scared from Donald Trump," Raskin argued. "We have got to enforce our Constitution. And that certainly was the design of the framers, and that's what they would have us do."
From Your Site Articles
- 'A Travesty': Clarence Thomas Refuses to Recuse in Case That Could Benefit Billionaire Benefactor ›
- Voters Request Expedited SCOTUS Review of Colorado Trump Case ›
- 'Corrupt as Hell': Demands for Clarence Thomas to Resign Follow New Details of Wife's Election Scheming ›
- Fresh Call to Impeach Clarence Thomas After Latest Ruling on Jan. 6 Insurrection ›
- 'Do the Honorable Thing': House Dems Urge Clarence Thomas to Recuse in Trump Case ›
- Illinois, Massachusetts Voters Join Fight to Bar Trump From Ballots ›
- Clarence Thomas Told He 'Must Recuse' in Trump 14th Amendment Case ›
- Opinion | The Supreme Court Won't Save Us From Trump So We'll Have to Beat Him at the Ballot—Again | Common Dreams ›
- Opinion | Meet Clarence Thomas’ Likely Successor If Trump Gets a 2nd Term | Common Dreams ›
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.