{"id":2287406,"date":"2024-07-01T15:45:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-01T19:45:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/justice-thomas-challenges-legitimacy-of-jack-smiths-appointment\/"},"modified":"2024-07-01T15:49:41","modified_gmt":"2024-07-01T19:49:41","slug":"justice-thomas-challenges-legitimacy-of-jack-smiths-appointment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/justice-thomas-challenges-legitimacy-of-jack-smiths-appointment\/","title":{"rendered":"Justice Thomas Challenges Legitimacy Of Jack Smith&#8217;s Appointment"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/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%2Fjustice-thomas-challenges-legitimacy-of-jack-smiths-appointment%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=2287406&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>Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas questioned the constitutionality of Special Counsel Jack Smith&#8217;s \u2063office and appointment in a recent concurring opinion. The Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that presidents have\u200c &#8220;absolute immunity&#8221; for official acts and &#8220;presumptive immunity&#8221; for all official \u200bacts. Thomas raised \u2062concerns about the legality of Smith&#8217;s appointment by Attorney General Merrick Garland, suggesting that there\u2063 may not be a law establishing the Special Counsel&#8217;s office as \u2064required by the Constitution. Thomas argued\u200c that the appointment may\u2064 be invalid, as it is\u2062 unclear whether the special\u200d counsel \u200crole is a principal \u200cor inferior officer. This could have significant implications for former\u2063 President Donald Trump&#8217;s defense against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/states-move-to-shore-up-religious-freedom-in-a-post-covid-world\/\" title=\"States Move to Shore Up Religious Freedom in a Post-COVID World\">legal challenges brought<\/a> by the Biden\u2063 Justice \u2062Department. Constitutional \u2064expert Ed Meese has also \u200c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-jim-jordan-gives-ultimatum-on-the-upcoming-electoral-college-showdown-video\/\" title=\"WATCH: Jim Jordan Gives Ultimatum On The Upcoming Electoral College Showdown (VIDEO)\">raised concerns<\/a> about the legality\u200c of Smith&#8217;s appointment.  <\/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<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=BYOz840vGeo>  Associated Press \/ YouTube <\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/01\/clarence-thomas-challenges-jack-smiths-legitimacy-as-trump-makes-same-argument-in-florida\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Clarence Thomas Challenges Jack Smith\u2019s Legitimacy As Trump Makes Same Argument In Florida&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/01\/clarence-thomas-challenges-jack-smiths-legitimacy-as-trump-makes-same-argument-in-florida\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Clarence Thomas Challenges Jack Smith\u2019s Legitimacy As Trump Makes Same Argument In Florida&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/01\/clarence-thomas-challenges-jack-smiths-legitimacy-as-trump-makes-same-argument-in-florida\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/01\/clarence-thomas-challenges-jack-smiths-legitimacy-as-trump-makes-same-argument-in-florida\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Clarence Thomas Challenges Jack Smith\u2019s Legitimacy As Trump Makes Same Argument In Florida&#038;body=Thomas said he is &#039;not sure that any office for the Special Counsel has been &#039;established by Law&#039; as the Constitution requires.&#039;%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/01\/clarence-thomas-challenges-jack-smiths-legitimacy-as-trump-makes-same-argument-in-florida\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &#038; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas questioned, in a concurring opinion affirming presidents have \u201cat least presumptive immunity\u201d for official acts, whether Special Counsel Jack Smith\u2019s office and appointment are constitutional in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>In a 6-3 <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/01\/scotus-immunity-ruling-further-delays-trump-trial-in-jack-smiths-d-c-lawfare\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">decision<\/a> on Monday, the Supreme Court ruled presidents have \u201cabsolute immunity\u201d for \u201cactions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority\u201d and \u201cat least presumptive immunity\u201d for all \u201cofficial acts.\u201d<\/p>\n<div  class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-d3e59544e34dd735ff91ef0a8819d814 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-d3e59544e34dd735ff91ef0a8819d814\"><\/div>\n<p>The decision came after Smith, who was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland, indicted former President Donald Trump for questioning the administration of the 2020 election. The Supreme Court also sent several of the alleged actions in Smith\u2019s case against Trump back to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/is-the-democrats-election-heist-too-big-to-fail\/\" title=\"Is the Democrats\u2019 Election Heist \u2018Too Big to Fail\u2019?\">lower court<\/a> to determine whether they constituted official acts \u2014 almost certainly quashing Smith\u2019s hopes for a preelection trial.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas, in his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/opinions\/23pdf\/23-939_e2pg.pdf#page=52\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">concurrence<\/a>, spent little time reinforcing the majority\u2019s opinion and instead explained he wrote \u201cto highlight another way in which this prosecution may violate our constitutional structure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas explained that Garland\u2019s appointment of Smith to prosecute Trump may have been unconstitutional, noting he is \u201cnot sure that any office for the Special Counsel has been \u2018established by Law\u2019 as the Constitution requires.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf there is no law establishing the office that the Special Counsel occupies, then he cannot proceed with this prosecution. A private citizen cannot criminally prosecute anyone, let alone a former President,\u201d Thomas opined. \u201cIf this unprecedented prosecution is to proceed, it must be conducted by someone duly authorized to do so by the American people. The lower courts should thus answer these essential questions concerning the Special Counsel\u2019s appointment before proceeding.\u201d<\/p>\n<div  class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-16c8c5592bafaa649bd808bd5f4acbdb fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-16c8c5592bafaa649bd808bd5f4acbdb\"><\/div>\n<p>Thomas explained that while the Constitution permits \u201cHeads of Department\u201d \u2014 like Garland \u2014 to appoint inferior officers, it also requires the appointed office be \u201cestablished by Law.\u201d Thomas claims Garland \u201cdid not identify any statute that clearly creates such an office\u201d when appointing Smith to special counsel; Garland simply cited general statutes, \u201cnone\u201d of which \u201cappears to create an office\u201d for Smith.<\/p>\n<p>But even if the office itself is constitutional, Thomas argues that Smith\u2019s appointment may not be. Thomas says it must be determined whether the special counsel role is a principal or inferior officer. A principal officer requires a nomination by the president and confirmation by the Senate \u2014 which Smith did not receive. Thomas argues an inferior officer does not require presidential nomination and senatorial confirmation \u201conly if \u2018Congress . . . by law vest[ed] the Appointment\u2019 in the Attorney General as a \u2018Hea[d] of Department.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, the Special Counsel\u2019s appointment is invalid unless a statute created the Special Counsel\u2019s office <em>and<\/em> gave the Attorney General the power to fill it \u2018by Law,&#8217;\u201d Thomas argues.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas also invoked the founders to explain <em>why<\/em> Garland and the executive branch\u2019s authority to create and fill roles is limited.<\/p>\n<div  class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-12f02a3e4b82e2ae9024ef695ebcd20e fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-12f02a3e4b82e2ae9024ef695ebcd20e\"><\/div>\n<p>The founders, weary of a power-hungry monarch that could \u2014 as the king did \u2014 both create positions and then fill those positions to carry out partisan objectives, \u201cbroke from the monarchial model by giving the President the power to <em>fill<\/em> offices (with the Senate\u2019s approval), but not the power to <em>create<\/em> offices,\u201d Thomas explained.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe cannot ignore the importance that the Constitution places on <em>who<\/em> creates a federal office,\u201d Thomas continued. \u201cTo guard against tyranny, the Founders required that a federal office be \u2018established by Law.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs James Madison cautioned,\u201d Thomas continued, \u201c\u2018[I]f there is any point in which the separation of the Legislative and Executive powers ought to be maintained with greater caution, it is that which relates to officers and offices.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas\u2019 reasoning, while not legally binding, may have significant implications in Donald Trump\u2019s defense against the Biden Justice Department\u2019s lawfare in Florida. Judge Aileen Cannon recently <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/06\/07\/this-week-in-lawfare-land-was-jack-smiths-appointment-unconstitutional\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">heard arguments<\/a> in the classified document case against Trump \u2014 also brought by Smith \u2014 as to whether Smith\u2019s appointment was unlawful. Constitutional expert and former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-ag-barr-authorizes-federal-prosecutors-to-pursue-substantial-allegations-of-voting-irregularities-before-2020-election-is-certified\/\" title=\"BREAKING: AG Barr Authorizes Federal Prosecutors to Pursue &quot;Substantial Allegations&quot; of Voting Irregularities Before 2020 Election is Certified\">attorney general<\/a> under President Ronald Reagan, Ed Meese, filed an amicus brief arguing Smith\u2019s appointment violates the Appointments Clause.<\/p>\n<div  class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-90c969040a25945e0519f23ef057418d fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-90c969040a25945e0519f23ef057418d\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist.<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Brianna Lyman<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/briannalyman2\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\" rel=\"noopener\">@briannalyman2<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/briannalyman\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/2020-presidential-election\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">2020 presidential election<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/2024-presidential-election\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">2024 presidential election<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/clarence-thomas\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Clarence Thomas<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Department of Justice<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/executive-branch\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">executive branch<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/jack-smith\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Jack Smith<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/lawfare\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">lawfare<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/merrick-garland\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Merrick Garland<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/presidential-immunity\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Presidential Immunity<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/supreme-court\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Supreme Court<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas raised concerns about the constitutionality of Special Counsel Jack Smith&#8217;s office and appointment in a concurring opinion affirming presidential immunity for official acts. Thomas questioned whether Smith&#8217;s appointment by Attorney General Merrick Garland was established by law as required by the Constitution. Thomas argued that the appointment may be invalid if there is no statute creating the office of special counsel and giving the Attorney General the power to fill it. He also invoked the founders&#8217; intent to limit the executive branch&#8217;s authority to create and fill roles to guard against tyranny. Thomas&#8217; reasoning could have implications for former President Donald Trump&#8217;s defense against legal challenges brought by the Biden Justice Department<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":2287407,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Screenshot-2024-07-01-at-12.57.34-PM-e1719853409105-1024x577.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[13993,7727,32463,33519,33556],"class_list":["post-2287406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-appointment","tag-challenge","tag-jack-smith","tag-justice-thomas","tag-legitimacy"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Screenshot-2024-07-01-at-12.57.34-PM-e1719853409105-1024x577.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2287406","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\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2287406"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2287406\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2287407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2287406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2287406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2287406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}