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Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin has called for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from ruling on Donald Trump’s eligibility for the 2024 presidential election. This follows recent rulings in Maine and Colorado that disqualified Trump from the general election primaries based on the insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment. Raskin argues that Thomas’ wife’s support of Trump’s claims regarding the 2020 election results undermines the Supreme Court Justice’s ability to participate in a fair hearing.
Democrats Call for Justice Clarence Thomas’ Recusal from Trump’s 2024 Rulings
Justice Clarence Thomas should recuse himself from ruling on Donald Trump’s 2024 eligibility, according to a leading Democrat. The statement comes as Trump, a potential GOP candidate, seeks to paint himself as a “political martyr” in his bid for a second presidential term.
Maryland congressman Jamie Raskin highlighted this issue as the Supreme Court is set to adjudicate recent state rulings in Maine and Colorado that disqualified the former president from the primaries under the 14th Amendment’s insurrection clause.
Raskin argues that Justice Thomas, whose wife Ginni was a supporter of Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election, should step aside before the Supreme Court hears the case. Trump’s legal proceedings are expected to begin as early as Tuesday.
Known for his role in leading Trump’s second impeachment following the deadly January 6 Capitol riot, Raskin contends that anyone in a fair and reasonable situation would agree: “If your wife was involved in the big lie… you shouldn’t be participating.”
Raskin added that if Trump, the favored Republican candidate, were to lose again in the 2024 election, he would undoubtedly attempt to contest the results once more.
Trump and his supporters have claimed that the decisions in Maine and Colorado to disqualify him were politically motivated. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, on Fox News, said the action in Maine “opens Pandora’s box“.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, despite his criticism of Trump, also disagreed with the decisions, stating that such issues should be decided by voters, not by courts. Likewise, New Hampshire’s Republican Governor Chris Sununu defended Trump, rejecting the insurrection argument used to disqualify him.
Sununu also optimistically predicted that Nikki Haley will defeat Trump in New Hampshire’s January 23 primary, despite a recent poll showing Haley trailing by just four points in the state. However, he did admit that Haley’s failure to identify slavery as a cause of the Civil War was a mistake.
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