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Editor, News-Register:
Does it not now, sadly, appear that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas may well be the most compromised, or perhaps corrupt, member of that August body that, until recently, had been perhaps the most highly respected institution in the history of our great nation?
This is a result of Justice Thomas' reported acceptance of the payment of his personal travel expenses and accommodations for over two decades from billionaire conservative mega-donor Harlan Crow, which went unreported by the Justice, that amounted to "millions of dollars."
In addition, the far-right conservative Justice Thomas earlier had failed to disclose that his wife, Ginny Thomas, who has been a very strong advocate for and a spokesperson of the "Big Lie" that the 2020 U.S. Presidential election was somehow, inexplicably, "rigged" against then-President Donald J. Trump, in spite of all discernable evidence to the contrary, has reportedly received an income in excess of $680,000 from "conservative groups" as well.
Also, most troubling is the fact that Justice Thomas refused to recuse himself and cast the solo vote of U.S. Supreme Court members to keep the texts from the January 6, 2021, insurrection of the U.S. Capitol from being presented to the U.S. House of Representatives' Jan. 6 Committee for review, that was investigating this matter of grave national concern on behalf of the American people, in perhaps an apparent attempt to appease his politically active and involved wife.
Historically, Justice Thomas was nominated for the U.S. Supreme Court by then-President George H.W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate by a 52-48 vote on Oct. 15, 1991, replacing the first African-American Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, who had retired following 24 years of dedicated and distinguished service to the court on behalf of the American people. During the hearing process he was accused of sexual harassment by his former legal aide, Anita Hill, but in spite of this Justice Thomas was confirmed and has served on the U.S. Supreme Court for nearly 32 years to date.
It will be interesting, indeed, to see what may transpire in this regard in the future.
Richard Hord
Martins Ferr