{"id":2269531,"date":"2024-06-17T12:05:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-17T16:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-and-ny-times-now-target-scotus-justice-clarence-thomas-over-personal-trips\/"},"modified":"2024-06-17T12:11:36","modified_gmt":"2024-06-17T16:11:36","slug":"democrats-and-ny-times-now-target-scotus-justice-clarence-thomas-over-personal-trips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-and-ny-times-now-target-scotus-justice-clarence-thomas-over-personal-trips\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrats and the NY Times Scrutinize Justice Clarence Thomas Over Personal Travel"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocrats-and-ny-times-now-target-scotus-justice-clarence-thomas-over-personal-trips%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2269531&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article from the Western Journal, written by Rachel M. Emmanuel on \u200bJune\u200c 17, 2024, discusses the Democratic \u200bParty&#8217;s opposition to Supreme Court Justices Samuel \u200cAlito and Clarence Thomas in\u200c relation\u2063 to cases involving former President Trump. The \u2062article alleges that the\u2064 Democrats have\u200d taken extreme measures to discredit these justices, including scrutiny over Justice Thomas&#8217;s undeclared private trips funded by Texas billionaire Harlan Crow, taken before disclosure\u2062 rules required justices to report such hospitality.<\/p>\n<p>Justice \u200cThomas, the article \u2064claims, followed the rules in place at the time, under a &#8220;personal hospitality exemption.&#8221; This exemption was \u2064part of the rules until it was\u2062 removed in the \u200dprevious year. Critics, including Carrie Severino from Judicial Network, argue that the attacks on Thomas\u200b represent an unfair retrospective application of new rules.<\/p>\n<p>The article also mentions recent changes in the Supreme Court&#8217;s disclosure \u200drequirements, with new canons introduced to address potential ethical conflicts, following \u2064pressure from Democrats in the Senate Judiciary Committee. These changes came \u2064amidst ongoing discussions about the need for a formal code of conduct for Supreme Court justices. However, the article suggests that the criticisms \u200bof Justice Thomas for his past actions under old rules are politically\u200c motivated and an exemplar of broader partisan attacks by Democrats against conservative justices. This context \u200cis framed \u2063within a larger narrative that criticizes the left and its approaches, setting a partisan tone \u2063against the efforts for \u2063greater judicial transparency and ethical reform.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<header> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/commentary\/\">  Commentary <\/a>   <span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/remmanuel\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <span>   By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/remmanuel\/%20\"><span>Rachel M. Emmanuel<\/span><\/a> <\/span> <span>   June 17, 2024 at 7:07am <\/span> <\/span>  <\/header>\n<section>\n<p>In their desperate attempt to get the originalist Supreme Court justices off cases concerning former President Trump, the Democratic Party has reached a new low.<\/p>\n<p>After attacking Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for the flags, including the historic \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/justice-alito-appeal-heaven-flag-truth-left-doesnt-want-know\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Appeal to Heaven<\/a>\u201d flag, his wife flew outside their vacation home, the Democrats are now focusing their attention on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas once again.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas has already been attacked by the Democrats for participating in a Supreme Court case over former President Trump\u2019s eligibility for the ballot under the 14th Amendment\u2019s insurrection clause, due to his wife Ginni Thomas\u2019s support for Trump\u2019s claims of a stolen 2020 election, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/regulation\/court-battles\/4456460-supreme-court-trump-argument-democrats-rip-clarence-thomas-not-recusing-himself\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Hill<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Top Democrats like Senate Judiciary Committee Chair <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/senior-democrat-dick-durbin-asked-kavanaugh-impeachment-get-real\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dick Durbin<\/a> and Reps. Dan Goldman, Bill Pascrell, and Jasmine Crockett have demanded Thomas recuse himself from the case.<\/p>\n<p>Now, Democrats are attacking Thomas over three trips he took on the private jet of the Texas billionaire Harlan Crow that he, allegedly, did not disclose, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/06\/13\/us\/politics\/justice-clarence-thomas-harlan-crow-trips.html?campaign_id=190&#038;emc=edit_ufn_20240613&#038;instance_id=126206&#038;nl=from-the-times&#038;regi_id=230935092&#038;segment_id=169537&#038;te=1&#038;user_id=3594edbc66d626d4b2a89c6a5902e7f6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The New York Times.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>One problem with this allegation: The rule about disclosing gifts of personal hospitality from friends was made last year. The trips, however, were all taken between 2017 and 2021, when there was no such rule in place about personal hospitality.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s like ticketing yesterday\u2019s drivers for going over a speed limit sign installed today.<\/p>\n<p>What would the Democrats have to say if Republicans went after a black, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/after-spending-400k-at-nevada-brothels-mysterious-dem-donor-drops-millions-to-legalize-prostitution-at-home\/\" title=\"After Spending 0k at Nevada Brothels, Mysterious Dem Donor Drops Millions To Legalize Prostitution at Home\">left-leaning justice<\/a> for rule violations that took place before there even was a rule?<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019d hear them cite everything from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/gop-rep-byron-donalds-scorches-hakeem-jeffries-trying-peddle-jim-crow-hoax-house-floor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jim Crow<\/a> to vagrancy laws.<\/p>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-container\">\n<p>Is Clarence Thomas the best justice on the Supreme Court?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The undisclosed trips include a 2017 flight from St. Louis to Montana near Glacier National Park with a stop in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/52-year-old-dallas-cowboys-hall-famer-dies-suddenly-vacation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dallas<\/a>, where Crow resides, a day trip to Thomas\u2019s hometown of Savannah, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/georgias-radical-progressive-senator-launches-crazy-attack-trump-supporters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Georgia<\/a> in 2019, and a 2021 day trip from Washington D.C. to San Jose, California.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas says he was advised that he did not need to report gifts of personal hospitality from friends who had no matters before the Supreme Court. At the time of the trips in question, there existed a \u201cpersonal hospitality exemption\u201d in the disclosure rules that allowed justices to accept hospitality from friends without reporting it.<\/p>\n<p>However, that exemption was eliminated in new disclosure requirements implemented last year, which Justice Thomas states he is now complying with fully.<\/p>\n<p>Carrie Severino, president of Judicial Network explained it on CNN, calling it, \u201cAnother insane, hamfisted attempt to smear Justice Thomas, Justice Alito, whoever the left is worried is going to have the next important decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is literally nothing new,\u201d Severino said. \u201cWe know that until 2023, personal hospitality was not something, the judicial conference itself said, should be disclosed. That\u2019s why Justice Breyer who took at least 233 trips, 68 of them overseas didn\u2019t have to disclose them. Justice Ginsberg, took a 157 trips, 28 of them overseas, again all of these from private hospitality, megadonors for the Democrats in their case, didn\u2019t have to disclose them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is an attempt to sort of change the rules after the fact and try to make Justice Thomas look bad,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Another day, another insane attempt by the Left to smear Justice Thomas with a nothingburger.<\/p>\n<p>Until 2023, the Judicial Conference itself said personal hospitality shouldn\u2019t be disclosed.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why Justice Breyer \u2014 who took at least 233 trips, 68 of them overseas \u2014 didn\u2019t have\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7pFBO0iEkR\">pic.twitter.com\/7pFBO0iEkR<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Carrie Severino (@JCNSeverino) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JCNSeverino\/status\/1801364984821121129?\">June 13, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>  Thomas\u2019 lawyer, Elliot S. Berke, told the New York Times that, since the rule change, \u201cJustice Thomas has fully complied with the new disclosure requirement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Richard Durbin stated this \u201cmakes it crystal clear that the highest court needs an enforceable code of conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In November, the Supreme Court issued its first-ever \u201cCode of Conduct\u201d following months of pressure from Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats pushing for new ethics laws governing the high court, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/clarence-thomas-formally-reports-2019-trips-paid-friend-gop-donor-harlan-crow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox News.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Code consists of five \u201ccanons\u201d or principles that justices must follow.<\/p>\n<p>Two of the new canons appear to be direct responses to recent controversies. One restricts justices from using court resources or staff for non-official activities like book promotions after reports that liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor\u2019s staff encouraged purchases of her book.<\/p>\n<p>Another canon limits justices\u2019 ability to accept compensation or reimbursements for travel expenses from sources that could appear to influence their duties. It states expense reimbursements should only cover actual costs and must come from proper sources.<\/p>\n<p>The Code overall attempts to set some ethical guardrails, though it remains unclear if it has enforcement mechanisms. It states all justices have agreed to comply with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-washington-post-communications-chief-moonlights-as-board-member-of-far-left-activist-group\/\" title=\"New Washington Post Communications Chief Moonlights as Board Member of Far-Left Activist Group\">federal financial disclosure laws<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>While no one is arguing that greater transparency can only help secure an independent judiciary, criticizing or castigating a judge for actions that were permissible under the rules of the past sets a concerning precedent and appears \u2014 rather obviously \u2014 politically motivated.<\/p>\n<p>While now revised, the \u201cpersonal hospitality exemption\u201d Thomas relied on was an accepted standard that had governed the conduct of Supreme Court justices for years. To condemn him now for following those previous protocols looks and smells like highly partisan targeting.<\/p>\n<p>Such backward-thinking approaches should tell you everything you need to know about Democrats and the modern left.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div>\n<p><b><i>A Note from Our Deputy Managing Editor:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span>\u201cWe don\u2019t even know if an election will be held in 2024.\u201d Those 12 words have been stuck in my head since I first read them. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Former Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn recently made that comment to Floyd Brown, founder of The Western Journal. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>And if the leftists and the elites get their way, that\u2019s exactly what will happen \u2014 no real election, no real choice for the Electoral College, and no real say for the American people. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The Western Journal is fighting to keep that from happening, but we can\u2019t do it alone.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>We work tirelessly to expose the lying leftist media and the corrupt America-hating elites.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>But Big Tech\u2019s stranglehold is now so tight that <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate\/?hosted_button_id=BM6XAWRJ8NS7A&#038;utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>without help<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  from you, we will not be able to continue the fight. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The 2024 election is literally the most important election for every living American. We have to unite and fight for our country, otherwise we will lose it. And if we lose the America we love in 2024, we\u2019ll lose it for good. Can we <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate\/?hosted_button_id=BM6XAWRJ8NS7A&#038;utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>count on you<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  to help? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>With you we will be able to field journalists, do more investigative work, expose more corruption, and get desperately needed trStephen A. Smith Lights Up Analyst Over WNBA Delusion, Caitlin Clark Jealousy &#8211; &#8216;Who Talks About the WNBA?!&#8217;uth to millions of Americans. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>We can do this only with your help. Please don\u2019t wait one minute.<\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate\/?hosted_button_id=BM6XAWRJ8NS7A&#038;utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>  Donate right now<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Thank you for reading,<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Josh Manning<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Deputy Managing Editor<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>P.S. Please <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate\/?hosted_button_id=BM6XAWRJ8NS7A&#038;utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>stand with us<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  today.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"author-info-45763\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/remmanuel\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<div>\n<p><label for=\"summary-tab-radio-45763\">Summary<\/label><label for=\"more-info-tab-radio-45763\">More<span> Biographical Information<\/span><\/label><label for=\"posts-tab-radio-45763\">Recent<span> Posts<\/span><\/label><label for=\"contact-tab-radio-45763\" onclick=\"if( typeof grecaptcha=='undefined' ) { let cap_s=document.createElement( 'script' ); cap_s.src='https:\/\/www.google.com\/recaptcha\/api.js?render=6LeJFcsUAAAAAPsIEqvB1EebWbZfqRUe6ebMpGy7'; document.body.appendChild( cap_s ); }\">Contact<\/label><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Rachel Emmanuel has served as the director of content on a Republican congressional campaign and writes content for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-rep-anna-paulina-luna-scolds-dems-waving-ukrainian-flags-after-vote-put-those-damn-flags-away\/\" title=\"Video: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna Criticizes Democrats Waving Ukrainian Flags - 'Remove Those Flags!\">popular conservative book franchise<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>  Rachel M. Emmanuel has served as the Director of Content on a Republican Congressional campaign and writes for a popular Conservative book franchise. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Commentary by Rachel M. Emmanuel, June 17, 2024 &#8211; The Democratic Party&#8217;s efforts to disqualify originalist Supreme Court justices from Trump-related cases mark a troubling descent. Their latest target is Justice Samuel Alito, criticized for the historical &#8220;Appeal to Heaven&#8221; flag displayed by his wife<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2329,"featured_media":2269532,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/ct.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2269531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/ct.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2269531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2329"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2269531"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2269531\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2269532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2269531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2269531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2269531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}