Democrats face outcry for 'targeting' Supreme Court justices

Democrats came under fire on social media for allegedly targeting Supreme Court justices. Representative Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat, suggested that Justice Clarence Thomas should recuse himself from cases related to former President Donald Trump’s 2024 primary ballot access.

In a recent development, Donald Trump, the leading contender in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, has faced setbacks as he was disqualified from the primary ballot in Colorado and Maine. The Colorado Supreme Court made the decision on December 19, asserting that Trump’s involvement in the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, amounted to participation in an insurrection, thereby disqualifying him from holding federal office under the 14th Amendment. Similarly, Maine Democratic Secretary of State Shenna Bellows ruled on Thursday that Trump would be excluded from the ballot, citing the same justification.

The former president has consistently denied participating in the insurrection during the Capitol riot. His campaign has strongly criticized the rulings in Colorado and Maine, expressing their intention to challenge them. Additionally, the Colorado Republican Party has taken the matter to the U.S. Supreme Court, submitting a 34-page petition arguing that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment does not pertain to the presidency.

During an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, Raskin, a former constitutional law professor, was asked by host Dana Bash if any of the Supreme Court justices should recuse themselves if they were to take on the case.

The congressman responded by stating that anyone looking at this situation objectively would agree that if one’s spouse was involved in promoting the false claim that Donald Trump could have won the presidential election and had actively participated in the events leading up to January 6, they should not be involved in the proceedings. The Supreme Court has recently established a code of ethics to address this issue.

Bash interjected, asking, “Should he recuse himself?”

According to Raskin, it is essential for him to recuse himself. However, the real concern lies in determining the appropriate course of action if he refuses to do so.

Raskin was talking about Justice Clarence Thomas, whose wife, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, faced criticism for her involvement in the riot. Ginni, a conservative activist and a supporter of Trump, shared the belief, like other Trump supporters, in the former president’s false claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him by Joe Biden and the Democrats through extensive voter fraud. However, there is no evidence to support this claim that the 2020 election was rigged.

I emailed Raskin’s office and reached out to the Supreme Court via an online form to get their comments, as Newsweek reported.

On Sunday, social media users on X, formerly Twitter, criticized Raskin’s comments, suggesting that the Democratic congressman may have put Thomas at risk.

John Hasson, a user named X, expressed concerns about the actions of Chuck Schumer and Jamie Raskin towards Justices Kavanaugh and Thomas. Hasson pointed out that Schumer’s previous remarks may have contributed to a dangerous situation, as someone attempted to harm Kavanaugh. Now, Hasson believes Raskin is also endangering Justice Thomas by putting a target on his back.

In June 2022, a 26-year-old man named Nicholas Roske from California faced indictment for his alleged attempt to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Roske entered a plea of not guilty to all charges. As per an FBI affidavit, Roske’s anger stemmed from the leaked draft of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the landmark case of Roe v. Wade, as well as the tragic Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

After Roske was arrested, a video resurfaced of Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer warning Kavanaugh that he would face consequences for voting against the Dobb’s decision.

Raskin’s comments were labeled as “delusional” by RNC Research, an X account operated by the Republican National Committee.

In a recent statement, Steve Guest, a former communications adviser to Senator Ted Cruz, expressed his perspective on the Democratic Party’s intentions regarding the Supreme Court. He boldly stated, “The ball game folks: Dems want to destroy the Supreme Court.” Guest’s words highlight his belief that the Democrats have a strong desire to dismantle the institution of the Supreme Court.

Raskin served as the lead impeachment manager during Trump’s second impeachment. Trump faced impeachment for the second time on January 13, 2021, following the Capitol riot, on charges of incitement of insurrection. However, he was ultimately acquitted by the Senate.

Ginni Thomas’ Text Messages With Mark Meadows

In March 2022, the media was abuzz with the news of text messages exchanged between Ginni Thomas and Mark Meadows, who served as Trump’s former chief of staff.

Ginni Thomas, in a text message exchange obtained by the House select committee investigating the riot, advised Meadows to urge Trump not to concede to Biden.

On November 10, 2020, she reportedly reached out to Meadows, urging him to support President Trump and stand firm against what she sees as an attempted heist of our history by Biden and the Left. She passionately expressed her belief that the majority knows the truth and called for action.

Ginni Thomas claimed in September 2022 that her husband had no knowledge of her text message conversation with Meadows until the committee disclosed them to the media.

“I never discussed the specifics of my volunteer campaign efforts or my post-election activities with him in relation to the 2020 election,” she stated in her committee statement. “I am certain that I never engaged in any conversation with him regarding the legal challenges to the 2020 election, as I had no involvement in such challenges.”

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