Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas recused himself from a case Monday morning involving a former law clerk and the House January 6 Committee—the first time he’s recused himself from a Capitol riot-related case, despite public outcry over alleged ethical lapses.
Thomas did not offer an explanation for why he recused himself—as is standard for justices—but one of the litigants, Trump-allied attorney John Eastman, is his former clerk.
Eastman had requested the Supreme Court overturn a previous ruling from a lower court that allowed the House committee investigating the January 6 attacks to view emails he argued were protected by attorney-client privilege—the high court denied Eastman’s request to review his case without any noted dissents.
Thomas was heavily criticized for not recusing himself from other cases involving the January 6 committee despite the fact that his wife, Virginia Thomas, was involved in the efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.