[GPSCC-chat] Fwd: [gpsmc-d] Fw: Tell Rep. Speier: Sign letter demanding investigation of Clarence Thomas
Gerry Gras
gerrygras at earthlink.net
Mon Jun 27 13:43:07 PDT 2011
His speech is NOW.
Gerry
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [gpsmc-d] Fw: Tell Rep. Speier: Sign letter demanding
investigation of Clarence Thomas
Date: Mon, 27 Jun 2011 13:12:10 -0700 (PDT)
From: Vi Huynh <vihuynh789 at yahoo.com>
Reply-To: Vi Huynh <vihuynh789 at yahoo.com>
To: Green Party of San Mateo County Discussion Group <gpsmc-d at cagreens.org>
----- Forwarded Message -----
*From:* "Becky Bond, CREDO Action" <act at credoaction.com>
*To:* Vi P. Huynh <vihuynh789 at yahoo.com>
*Sent:* Saturday, June 25, 2011 8:13 AM
*Subject:* Tell Rep. Speier: Sign letter demanding investigation of
Clarence Thomas
CREDO Action | more than a network. a movement.
*Tell Rep. Speier: Call for a House investigation of Clarence Thomas'
latest ethics violations.
<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=8238&id=23146-1443957-iwpzzvx&t=1>*
*Is Rep. Speier holding Clarence Thomas accountable?
<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=8238&id=23146-1443957-iwpzzvx&t=2>*
Take Action!
<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=8238&id=23146-1443957-iwpzzvx&t=3>
Clicking here will automatically add your name to this petition to Rep.
Jackie Speier:
*"Please sign Rep. Chris Murphy's letter asking the House Judiciary
Committee to investigate recent actions of Clarence Thomas and to
consider extending the Judicial Conference Code of Conduct for all
federal judges to members of the U.S. Supreme Court."
<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=8239&id=23146-1443957-iwpzzvx&t=4>*
Automatically add your name:
<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=8239&id=23146-1443957-iwpzzvx&t=5>
Take action now!
<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=8239&id=23146-1443957-iwpzzvx&t=6>
Learn more about this campaign.
<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=8238&id=23146-1443957-iwpzzvx&t=7>
Dear Friend,
Nearly 200,000 people have signed our petition calling for the
resignation of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. And we're making
waves in Washington. Thanks to your activism, momentum is building
behind an effort to hold Clarence Thomas accountable for his blatant
disregard for the Judicial Code of Conduct.
Just yesterday, Congressman Chris Murphy penned a "dear colleague"
letter, asking his fellow Members of Congress to sign on to an urgent
request to Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith. This letter,
spurred by the recent New York Times expose of Clarence Thomas'
unethical relationship with rightwing funder and activist Harlan Crow,
urges the House Judiciary Committee to hold hearings on escalating
reports of unethical behavior by Supreme Court Justices.
Unfortunately, as of this morning, your member of Congress Rep. Jackie
Speier has not yet signed on to Rep. Murphy's letter to the Chair of the
House Judiciary Committee.
*Tell Rep. Speier: Sign Rep. Chris Murphy's letter asking the House
Judiciary Committee to investigate recent actions of Clarence Thomas and
to consider extending the Judicial Conference Code of Conduct for all
federal judges to members of the U.S. Supreme Court. Click here to
automatically sign the petition.*
<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=8239&id=23146-1443957-iwpzzvx&t=8>
Shockingly, the Supreme Court is not legally bound by the code of
conduct for federal judges, though Justices Breyer and Anthony M.
Kennedy have testified to Congress that members of the Supreme Court
voluntarily follow the code that explicitly prohibits justices from
directly soliciting charitable donations.
It's not acceptable that Clarence Thomas and the U.S. Supreme Court are
essentially above the law when it comes to ethics standards. That's why
Rep. Christopher Murphy has introduced the Supreme Court Transparency
and Disclosure Act.
Under this bill, the Judicial Conference Code of Conduct that governs
the ethical behavior of federal judges would also apply to Clarence
Thomas and the rest of the Supreme Court. Clarence Thomas would no
longer be able to attend blatantly political events, participate in
fundraising events or accept gifts by individuals or groups with
business before the court.
*Tell Rep. Speier: Sign Rep. Chris Murphy's letter asking the House
Judiciary Committee to investigate recent actions of Clarence Thomas and
to consider extending the Judicial Conference Code of Conduct for all
federal judges to members of the U.S. Supreme Court. Click here to
automatically sign the petition.*
<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=8239&id=23146-1443957-iwpzzvx&t=9>
We know letters like this can make a difference. When a Member of
Congress like Chris Murphy takes a stand on a progressive issue, it gets
more notice from the press, from his colleagues, and ultimately in this
case from the members of the Supreme Court. We need to help Rep. Murphy
get as many signatures on his letter as possible before he delivers it
to the House Judiciary Committee next week. There is no reason why Rep.
Speier should not support this effort and put her name on the letter.
Here is the letter from Rep. Chris Murphy:
Dear Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Conyers:
We write to you today to ask that you hold a hearing on HR 862, the
Supreme Court Transparency and Disclosure Act. This commonsense bill
would go a long way towards restoring the public's confidence in the
Supreme Court after several recent questionable actions by some of
its members.
The Supreme Court must be a neutral arbiter that acts without bias
or prejudice. We the people created our Constitution to "establish
justice," and the promise that Supreme Court justices abide by the
rule of law and not political influence or ideology is at the
foundation of who we are as a country.
This bedrock principle is important with the prospect that the
Supreme Court will eventually rule on the constitutionality of
legislation debated by this Congress, like the Affordable Care Act.
Whatever the justices decide, the legitimacy of their decisions
depend on whether the American people believe them to be impartial
and above any particular political or financial interests.
Yet, there have been alarming reports of justices — most notably
Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito —
attending political events and using their position to fundraise for
organizations. These activities would be prohibited if the justices
were required to abide by the Judicial Conference Code of Conduct,
which currently applies to all other federal judges. On these issues
the code is quite clear. Canon 4C states that "a judge should not
personally participate in fund-raising activities, solicit funds for
any organization, or use or permit the use of the prestige of the
judicial office for that purpose." Additionally, in Canon 5 the code
states, "[a] judge must refrain from all political activity." While
we understand that the Supreme Court is unique by its very nature,
we do not believe there should be one set of guidelines for Supreme
Court justices and stricter standards for all others judges.
The Supreme Court possesses the incredible power to interpret or
even strike down laws they deem inconsistent with the Constitution.
America trusts them with this power because justices must come to
each case without a personal or financial stake in the outcome.
Recent revelations about Justice Thomas accepting tens of thousands
of dollars' worth of gifts from individuals and organizations who
often have an interest in matters before the courts calls into
question the Court's impartiality. Canon 4D of the Code of Conduct
incorporates regulations providing that "[a] judicial officer or
employee shall not accept a gift from anyone who is seeking official
action from or doing business with the court." Yet Justice Thomas
received a gift valued at $15,000 from an organization that had a
brief pending before his Court at the very moment they gave him the
gift. Incidents such as these undermine the integrity of the entire
judiciary, and they should not be allowed to continue.
The Supreme Court Transparency and Disclosure Act was introduced to
shine a light on these issues. First, it would apply the Judicial
Conference Code of Conduct, which applies to all other
federaljudges, to Supreme Court Justices. Currently, the justices
only look to this standard as "guidance". Second, the bill would
require Supreme Court justices to publicly disclose their reasoning
behind a recusal when they withdraw from a case and when they refuse
to recuse themselves after a motion is made for them to do so.
Lastly, it would require the Judicial Conference to develop a
process to review decisions by justices who have refused to step
aside from a case.
As Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once said, "sunlight is said
to be the best of disinfectants". It is time that we apply that same
ideal to the Supreme Court. Again, we urge you to schedule a hearing
on HR 862, to help restore the public's faith in our judicial system
and to guarantee the integrity of our country's highest court.
Sincerely,
Rep. Christopher Murphy (D-CT)
*Tell Rep. Speier: Sign Rep. Chris Murphy's letter asking the House
Judiciary Committee to investigate recent actions of Clarence Thomas and
to consider extending the Judicial Conference Code of Conduct for all
federal judges to members of the U.S. Supreme Court. Click here to
automatically sign the petition.*
<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=8239&id=23146-1443957-iwpzzvx&t=10>
It's important to build on the momentum created by the recent New York
Times expose that detailed the improper ties between Supreme Court
Justice Clarence Thomas and influential rightwing funder and activist
Harlan Crow.^1
Crow is a major contributor to conservative causes and a stalwart
supporter of Clarence Thomas. In past years he gave Thomas' wife, Ginni
Thomas, $500,000 to exploit the Citizens United decision and start a
shadowy, Tea Party-related group called Liberty Central.^2 He gave
Thomas a Bible (estimated value $15,000) that once belonged to Frederick
Douglass, and reportedly provided the Supreme Court Justice with access
to his yacht and private jet.
As if that wasn't enough, the New York Times has revealed that Thomas
solicited a multi-million dollar donation from Crow to benefit one of
his own pet projects near his birthplace in a remote coastal community
outside Savannah, Georgia.
We must not pass up this chance to hold Clarence Thomas accountable.
Rep. Christopher Murphy's call for an investigation by the House
Judiciary and his bill to add ethics rules with teeth to the Supreme
Court is an important next step.
Becky Bond, Political Director
CREDO Action from Working Assets
<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=11&id=23146-1443957-iwpzzvx&t=11>
1. Friendship of Justice and Magnate Puts Focus on Ethics
<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=8182&id=23146-1443957-iwpzzvx&t=12>,
New York Times, June 19, 2011.
2. Justice Thomas's wife now lobbyist
<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=8209&id=23146-1443957-iwpzzvx&t=13>,
Politico, February 4, 2011.
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