House panel to explore impeachment, judicial ethics in wake of Ginni Thomas texts
by Emily Brooks - 04/26/22 5:55 PM ET
House Democrats on Wednesday will hold a hearing on Supreme Court ethics and the possibility of impeaching justices, a move that follows the revelation of controversial text messages from Ginni Thomas, the wife of Justice Clarence Thomas.
The texts from Ginni Thomas to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows about the 2020 presidential election and the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot have set off a political firestorm in Washington, raising Democratic anger and calls for Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from decisions related to the election and former President Trump.
Republicans overwhelmingly have rallied to Clarence Thomas’s defense.
A memo from Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), the chairman of the House Judiciary courts subcommittee, distributed to members ahead of Wednesday’s hearing, and obtained by The Hill, explores codes of conduct for federal judges outside the Supreme Court and summarizes legislative proposals to impose ethics requirements on Supreme Court justices.
Notably, the memo also discusses Congress’s impeachment authority in the Constitution as one form of regulation of the conduct of Supreme Court justices.
“Threats or inquiries of impeachment as a means of regulating the conduct of Supreme Court justices have had varying effects,” the memo said.
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https://thehill.com/news/house/3466200-house-panel-to-explore-impeachment-judicial-ethics-in-wake-of-ginni-thomas-texts/
