Senate Democrat wants Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from Trump immunity case

Senate Democrats have called on Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from a case involving former President Donald Trump's immunity claims due to his wife's support of his election fraud claims.

Special counsel Jack Smith this week asked the Supreme Court to determine whether Trump may face prosecution in his D.C. criminal case after the former president claimed to enjoy presidential immunity. Thomas, as a member of the body, would ordinarily hear arguments in the case.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin, D-Ill., however, has insisted that Thomas's wife Ginni's public support from Trump's election fraud claims could present a conflict of interest and merit a recusal from Thomas.

"There are so many unanswered questions about the relationship of the justice and his family with the Trump administration that I think in the interests of justice, he should recuse himself," he said, according to The Hill.

Durbin has been an outspoken critic of the Supreme Court justice amid reporting that he maintained a close relationship with GOP megadonor Harlan Crow. In light of those reports, he spearheaded calls for the top bench to draft a code of conduct, which the court ultimately did in November.

The Illinois lawmaker, moreover, expressed concerns about the presence of three justices whom Trump appointed serving on the bench and in a position to decide on the matter of Trump's claims. Trump named Associate Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court during his term.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.