Amid allegations he has for years accepted gifts from a wealthy conservative political donor but did not properly disclose the value of his association, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas should resign, according to a member of the state’s congressional delegation.
“The highest court in the land should not have the lowest ethical standards. Clarence Thomas has been on the take,” U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern said while speaking with host Jon Keller for the WBZ political analyst’s Sunday politics segment.
The Worcester Democrat has been vocal in his criticism of the 74-year-old jurist, calling for his resignation soon after reporting by ProPublica apparently showed Thomas’ close relationship with Republican donor Harlan Crow may have crossed the line.
Crow, a Texas real estate billionaire, has allegedly spent millions shepherding Thomas around the globe for visits to exclusive resorts and vacations aboard his yacht, according to the report. One trip alone, ProPublica alleges, was roughly equivalent to a half-a-million dollar donation which should have been reported as such but was not.
Crow has also allegedly purchased land from the Supreme Court justice while he had business before the court, “at inflated values,” McGovern said.
“There is a conflict of interest here and I think he should resign and if he doesn’t resign we ought to move to impeach him” McGovern said. “People like that do not belong in the court.”
McGovern said he agrees with filings by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, which would codify a standard of ethics for the nation’s highest court.
Warren, U.S. Sen. Ed Markey and U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley are slated to be in Boston Monday morning to kick off a 20-stop nationwide messaging campaign they’ve titled the “Just Majority” tour.
The tour, according to representatives for the lawmakers, is their response to concerns over recent rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court rolling back abortion rights and limiting gun registration laws. Markey is expected to tout legislation he first filed in 2021, which would see four more associate justices added to the court, bringing the total number of high court judges to 13.