Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas recused himself from a case involving the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump. The Supreme Court rejected an appeal brought by former Trump legal adviser John Eastman, who had served as a law clerk to Justice Thomas. Thomas, who has faced criticism for ethical lapses, had participated in a previous case where the court rejected Trump’s attempt to prevent White House documents from being handed over to the House committee investigating the attack. This time, Thomas stepped aside without providing an explanation for his recusal.
The case involving Eastman focused on his efforts to prevent his former employer, Chapman University, from handing over emails in relation to the January 6 committee. Eastman had pushed discredited arguments, including the claim that then-Vice President Mike Pence had the power to refuse to certify the 2020 presidential election results. He has also been indicted for his attempts to overturn the election results in Georgia. Despite Eastman recently vouching for Justice Thomas following allegations of ethical lapses, Thomas chose to recuse himself from the case.
In another Trump-related case, the Supreme Court rejected a legal challenge seeking to block Trump from running for president again. The appeal, filed by John Castro, a write-in Republican candidate for president, argued that Trump was ineligible to be on the ballot under the Constitution’s 14th Amendment due to his involvement in the January 6 attack. Although some legal scholars have supported this argument, others have dismissed it, questioning whether Trump’s actions amounted to “insurrection or rebellion.” While the Supreme Court may eventually weigh in on the issue before the 2024 election, Castro’s case was seen as unlikely to succeed, especially since he bypassed the normal appeals process and filed directly at the high court.
