Today's Court is just another political player
by digby
When I read the latest Clarence Thomas ethics scandal in the NY Times this morning, I wondered when anyone was going to bring up Abe Fortas. Think Progress did it. It's hard to see any daylight between the two scandals. But I will be very surprised if Thomas ever even acknowledges the conflict. It would take a threatened impeachment and that's just not going to happen. There are too many fault lines involved and he's such a hero to the extreme right that I would doubt anyone would take the chance.
Plus, times have changed. I think the Court sees itself as an explicitly political branch now and any attack on Thomas is done in that light. Bush vs Gore was a watershed --- the idea that the Court was above crass political considerations (even if it often wasn't) was fully abandoned and there's no going back. (Recall that Chief Justice Roberts worked on the Bush recount.)
I see no chance that Clarence Thomas will resign over this. (If they find out that he's been tweeting pictures of his John Thomas,however,then all bets are off.)
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