This week we learned that for more than two decades Clarence Thomas has been accepting yearly luxury trips from Republican mega-donor Harlan Crow. These trips, worth several millions of dollars, appeared nowhere on Thomas’ financial disclosures. His failure to report them almost definitely violates the law and is a shocking ethical breach. I’d like you to call for him to resign immediately. Also, the Senate must pass S. 359, the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act immediately. Public trust in the Supreme Court is plummeting. It will continue to do so until Congress acts.
On a related note, it's time to abolish blue slips. That system is being hopelessly abused. The U.S. Senate has continued to follow an outdated custom that was weaponized by segregationist politicians opposed to the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education ruling: blue slips.
Under this practice, both U.S. Senators in a state with a judicial vacancy must return a piece of paper (a literal blue slip) giving their approval of a nominee before the nomination can move forward.
The blue slip process still stands in the way of progress and has been weaponized by Republicans, particularly to keep black and brown nominees and civil rights lawyers from the federal bench in the states where they are needed most. We cannot let Republican senators continue to stymie President Biden’s commitment to filling our courts with judges dedicated to equal justice for all.
