Aaron Regunberg, one of 15 Democrats running for an open seat in Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District, called Tuesday for the impeachment of embattled U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
“We cannot have real justice in this country when very wealthy people can so easily buy access to and favor from members of our highest court,” Reguberg said in a statement. “That is why, as a candidate for Congress I am committed to supporting Justice Thomas’ impeachment, as a necessary means of reasserting public accountability over a justice who clearly feels himself above the law.”
Thomas has become a focus of news reports revealing how he received undisclosed luxury travel and other benefits from a Texas billionaire who is a large GOP donor. Republicans have responded by describing criticism of Thomas as overly partisan.
With GOP control of the U.S. House and a divided Senate, an impeachment effort against Thomas seems very unlikely. But drawing attention to the issue is a way for Regunberg to set himself apart in a large field of candidates.
A former state representative who graduated from Harvard Law School after losing a close 2018 primary for lieutenant governor to Dan McKee, Regunberg left a U.S. District Court clerkship to enter the congressional race. He said the issue is one of ethics.
During his clerkship, he said, “I saw our judges routinely recuse themselves from cases where their potential connection to a party failed to even begin to approach the personal, let alone monetary, relationships in the least shocking of Justice Thomas’ scandals. Even I, a clerk, declined to work on several cases during my term because they dealt with issues about which I had previously been vocal as an activist and legislator.”
Regunberg said the Supreme Court should be bound by the same ethics rules as federal judges. He said he favors term limits for Supreme Court justices and believes a supermajority should be required to strike down federal laws.
The Public’s Radio asked the other CD1 candidates for their reaction to Regunberg’s statement.
Ward 1 Providence City Councillor John Goncalves’ campaign said he supports impeaching Thomas.
“Every option should be on the table to bring legitimacy back to the Supreme Court and restore voters’ faith in the justice system,” Goncalves said in a statement. “At a minimum, Congress urgently needs to pass explicit, enforceable ethics rules. I also support term limits and increasing the size of the Court to bring it in line with the size of the US Courts of Appeals.”
Another candidate, Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos, did not address whether Thomas should be impeached. In a statement, she said, “The allegations surrounding Justice Thomas and his wife are incredibly troubling. It’s clear the Supreme Court urgently needs ethics reform to ensure every Justice is acting with integrity. Rhode Islanders deserve to have confidence that our nation’s highest court is making decisions without outside influences or ulterior motives.”
Here are statements from some other candidates.
Gabe Amo: “I fully believe that the House of Representatives should fulfill its constitutional duty and investigate the latest disclosures related to Justice Clarence Thomas. As a former senior White House official, I signed an ethics pledge and was subject to annual financial disclosures. I think it’s long overdue that Congress codify a code of ethics for the Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court.”
Nick Autiello: “I support impeaching Justice Thomas but the problem of trust in the Court is wrapped up with the wider crisis of trust in our democracy and whether or not we believe the government is truly working for our families. This needs to be addressed urgently and must include reforms at all levels of government. As it specifically pertains to the Court, I think Congress must [explore] a variety of ideas to restore trust, including term limits or a mandatory retirement age, an expansion of the court, and much more stringent ethics rules. I especially appreciate Senator Whitehouse’s leadership on exposing the right wing corruption of the federal judiciary and as a member of Congress will join him in this fight to restore trust and dignity to the judiciary.”
State Rep. Nathan Biah (D-Providence): “Like Senator Whitehouse, I believe the Attorney General should investigate Clarence Thomas for his violations of the Ethics in Government Act. If those violations are as egregious as has been reported, I would support impeachment. Let’s be clear about what happened. A far-right billionaire has put a Supreme Court justice on his payroll. We need to make sure that never happens again, which is why we need to pass the SCERT Act that ends the Supreme Court’s blanket exemption from federal ethics law.”
Other campaigns did not immediately respond to inquiries from The Public’s Radio, or could not be reached for comment.
Ian Donnis can be reached at idonnis@ripr.org. Follow him on Twitter @IanDon. Sign up here for his weekly RI politics and media newsletter.
