Pence condemns 'appalling' attacks on 'principled jurist' Clarence Thomas

Emily Jacobs

May 07, 01:21 AM May 07, 01:21 AM

Former Vice President Mike Pence decried what he called "malicious" attacks against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as he faces increased scrutiny over his relationship with a billionaire GOP megadonor.

Pence wrote a Twitter thread on Saturday vowing to stand behind the embattled associate justice amid a flurry of criticism over reports that Harlan Crow, the donor in question, covered the costs of luxury vacations and purchased property from Thomas's family. He also paid the private school tuition for the justice’s grandnephew, who Thomas once said he raised “as a son.” Thomas didn’t disclose any of these payments, purchases, or trips.

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"Ever since his nomination to the Supreme Court in 1991 Justice Thomas has been maliciously attacked by the Left, including by then Sen. Joe Biden," Pence said. "The attacks on his character are continuing today, and it’s appalling to see. I stand with Justice Clarence Thomas and call on every American to join me in defending this good man and principled jurist."

The former vice president went on to defend the Supreme Court justice as "a man of integrity with an inspiring personal story and has upheld the ideals enshrined in our Constitution throughout his life without compromise." He also included a link to My Grandfather's Son, Thomas's 2007 bestselling memoir.

Lawmakers have largely stuck to party lines on the Thomas controversy, with Democrats up in arms over the undisclosed transactions and Republicans standing by the conservative justice.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL), who is known for being reserved in his criticisms of the nation's highest court, has vowed to take some type of action on to the Thomas matter. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) who also serves on the influential panel, went as far as to call on the Justice Department to investigate Thomas over the Crow relationship.

On the Republican side, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the Judiciary Committee's ranking member, decried what he called "a concentrated effort by the Left to delegitimize the court and to cherry-pick examples to make a point" at the hearing. He also accused Democrats of trying to "destroy" Thomas's reputation. Later on, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) displayed posters of news headlines about Thomas from left-wing publications and argued that these outlets had created "racist caricatures" of the justice.

Sens. Angus King (I-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced legislation last week that would implement a stricter ethics code on Supreme Court justices. Whether it could pass with a 60 vote filibuster-proof majority is unclear. As is its fate in the House.

How Ketanji Brown Jackson has fared in her first nine months on Supreme Court

Cami Mondeaux

March 25, 01:21 PM March 25, 01:21 PM

During her first nine months on the Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson has earned the praise of both her liberal and conservative colleagues, who say the associate justice has “hit the ground running” since being sworn in last year.

Jackson was praised by those on the Left when she was nominated by President Joe Biden to replace former Justice Stephen Breyer after he retired from the high court last summer. However, the newest justice has occasionally been able to win the affection of those on the Right over the last few months as Jackson has found agreement with her conservative colleagues on a number of issues.

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"She is fully prepared — thoroughly prepared," Justice Brett Kavanaugh said about Jackson during an event at the University of Notre Dame in January. “[She’s] off to a great start."

Jackson earned unanimous support from the Supreme Court justices in her first majority opinion issued last month in a dispute between Delaware and MoneyGram, an online service to transfer money and checks.

However, Jackson has also proven herself to be a lone wolf in some cases, often making herself the lone dissenter. Jackson most recently wrote a solo dissent for a case on Monday after the Supreme Court struck down a ruling from a lower court allowing a state clerk to be sued for telling a pregnant teenager she must notify her parents before seeking to obtain an abortion without their consent.

Outside of the courtroom, relations with her colleagues on both sides of the ideological spectrum remain strong, according to Kavanaugh.

“There are great relations among all nine justices, both personally and professionally. We only get tough cases, and we disagree on some of those,” he said. “I think that's more nuanced than it is sometimes portrayed.”