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Wicker scoffs at Justice Thomas’ possible conflicts of interest

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Wicker says leak could harm Supreme Court, but scoffs at Clarence Thomas' possible conflicts of interest

U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, a Tupelo Republican, believes the leak of the draft revoking a nationwide right to an abortion is “an attack on a key institution” and “threatens (the) independence of the Court.”

But by Wicker's estimation, the alleged conflict of interest created by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas ruling on cases involving his wife Ginni Thomas, a conservative activist and election denier, is no big deal and does nothing to the Supreme Court.

“I'm not concerned about Justice Thomas and I disagree that there are apparent conflicts as you assert. His service to date has been beyond reproach,” Wicker said in response to a question from Mississippi Today.

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The senior senator from Mississippi went on to add, “Mrs. Ginni Thomas is a American entitled to her own views. She does not surrender her rights based on who her husband is.”

No one, of course, is questioning Ginni Thomas' right to have a personal or public life of her own. What is at issue is whether Clarence Thomas, as one of the nation's nine most powerful members of the judiciary, should be ruling on issues surrounding his wife's public life.

Earlier this year, Thomas was the only member of the nation's highest court to rule against releasing correspondence from the White House to a commission established by the U.S. House to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and efforts to overturn the results of the November 2020 presidential election.

That commission is chaired by U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, who is the lone Democrat in Mississippi's congressional delegation. It is of note than Wicker voted against forming the commission.

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It is hard to fathom that when Thomas ruled on the case, he was not aware of his wife's email correspondence with the White House in which she urged members of 's team to do all they could to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

While Wicker sees no problems with the Thomases, he said if the draft opinion overturning was leaked by a Supreme Court law clerk, that person should be disbarred. If it was a Supreme Court justice who leaked the draft opinion, that justice should be impeached, Wicker said.

“This leak will severely damage that trust, putting at risk the ability of our nation's highest court to function,” Wicker said in a commentary. “It will also set a disturbing precedent of inciting mob pressure to intimidate the justices before they issue a decision.”

On a conservative news show, Wicker said, “I think Democrats and should have denounced the leak. So far it has only come from our side.”

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Many believe both Republicans and Democrats also should be speaking up in favor of placing guidelines on Supreme Court justices for dealing with conflict of interest issues. There are guidelines for recusal from cases that judges are supposed to follow. But the Supreme Court is not bound by those guidelines.

The Code of Conduct for United States Judges that apparently does not apply to Supreme Court justices says, “A judge must avoid all impropriety and appearance of impropriety. This prohibition applies to both professional and personal conduct. A judge must expect to be the subject of constant public scrutiny and accept freely and willingly restrictions that might be viewed as burdensome by the ordinary citizen.”

Perhaps such a code also should apply to the nine most powerful judges in the nation — those who make up the Supreme Court.

Fix the Court, a nonprofit advocacy group, cites about 60 alleged ethics violations by Supreme Court justices in recent years, Thomas' possible conflicts of interest related to his wife and other justices accepting gifts and travel from groups that might appear before the court.

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“At a time when the Supreme Court has outsized power — over our personal privacy and health care decisions, over who can vote and who wins elections, over who can marry and who can unionize, and so much more — it is critical that the branch, including those at its apex, are subject to transparency and accountability rules that measure up to its might,” said Gabe Roth, executive director of Fix the Court.

Legislation is currently being considered by Congress that will address some of those conflict of interest issues facing the Supreme Court and will provide more transparency.

Whether that legislation will receive from Republicans like Roger Wicker remains to be seen.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi News

Warm and breezy tomorrow ahead of Monday storms – Home – WCBI TV

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www.wcbi.com – McKinley Dean – 2024-04-27 17:12:05

SUMMARY: Breezy conditions will continue tonight with partly cloudy skies in Columbus, Mississippi. Tomorrow will be warm and breezy with increasing clouds ahead of storms expected on Monday. Rain chances will persist throughout the . Overnight temperatures will be in the low 60s with partly cloudy skies. Sunday will see mostly dry conditions with some clouds and highs in the 80s. Thunderstorms are expected on Monday followed by showers for the next few days. High temperatures will be in the low to mid 80s next week.

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No. 23 Alabama tops Ole Miss 10-3 to win series, Rebs drop to 7-14 in SEC play

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www.wcbi.com – Jon Sokoloff – 2024-04-27 17:05:37

SUMMARY: No. 23 Alabama defeated 10-3 in their , with Mason Nichols pitching well for the Crimson Tide. The was tied at one in the sixth inning before Alabama pulled ahead and outscored Ole Miss 9-2 in the final three innings. Ole Miss won a thrilling Game 2 but ultimately fell short in winning the series, dropping to 7-14 in SEC play. The Rebels will face Mississippi next, with the last time they were 7-14 in SEC play being in 2022, the season they won the national title. The game can be watched on ESPNU at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

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Mississippi Senate agrees to a new school funding formula, sending plan to the governor

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www.wjtv.com – The Associated Press – 2024-04-27 15:28:13

SUMMARY: Mississippi lawmakers are considering replacing the outdated Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) with a new formula, the Mississippi Student Funding Formula. This new plan aims to more financial to school districts, especially for with additional needs. The bill has passed in both the Senate and House, with some dissenting votes. Critics argue that the has consistently underfunded education in the past. The new formula would allocate an additional $217 million for schools to the current MAEP budget. Republican Sen. Angela Hill expressed concerns about funding for students learning English as a second language due to immigration issues.

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The post Mississippi Senate agrees to a new school funding formula, sending plan to the governor appeared first on www.wjtv.com

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