A group of 50 House Democrats signed a letter on Wednesday asking Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from a major Supreme Court case that could dramatically alter federal agencies' powers.
The latest report from the nonprofit ProPublica outlet revealed that Thomas has been a guest at more than one event hosted by the conservative Koch network, including a dinner for donors at its annual summit in California in 2018.
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Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) led the initiative calling on Thomas's recusal, arguing attorneys involved in the Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo case are staff members for the Koch network.
"There is no question that your lengthy relationship with the Kochs, including your participation in donor retreats for the Koch network, requires recusal in the upcoming case that the Koch network has teed up in an attempt to overturn Chevron," the lawmakers wrote. "Moreover, as you should be aware, the Koch network's staff attorneys represent the plaintiffs in this case."
The oral arguments in the case surround the long-standing precedent known as the Chevron deference, which tells courts to defer to a federal agency's reasonable interpretation of laws enacted by Congress and the president, even though many are written ambiguously.
While it's not clear whether the Supreme Court would go as far as to overturn the precedent, the high court's recent trend of limiting agency powers may signal a willingness to curb agencies' ability to impose regulations that aren't specifically approved by Congress.
"Here, the Kochs — political activists that you have personally helped fundraise for and personally financially benefited from while their crusade to overturn Chevron was public and well-known — are a party to this case," the letter read.
Goldman's letter argued that if Thomas failed to recuse himself, it would cause "irreparable harm" to the high court's integrity and the public's faith in impartial decision-making from the bench.
Thomas's "extensive personal relationship with both Charles and David Koch raises serious questions about whether you had a conflict of interest in Baldwin," the letter added.
Ethics questions were raised about Thomas in April, beginning with the first of several reports by ProPublica, an outlet that got its roots in part from funding by left-leaning organizations such as the Sandler Foundation. Reports stated that Thomas accepted gifts and trips he didn't disclose on federal forms, and the justice has since noted his previously unreported trips on his most recent disclosure report.
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Goldman joined his colleague Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) last week to promote the reintroduction of a bill that would impose 18-year term limits on the court in order of seniority of the current justices on the bench, meaning Thomas would be the first placed into senior status if it passed into law.
The Washington Examiner contacted the Supreme Court for a response.