In recent weeks, Democrats increased their criticism of conservative Supreme Court Justices such as Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch. They alleged corruption and used that as a justification for congressional oversight.
These accusations, however, are without any legal or ethical basis. Justice Thomas was accused by some of failing to report free travel expenses that he received from a close friend, which he wasn’t even required to declare. He was also accused of a technical error when it came time for income reporting. Justice Gorsuch is accused of selling land in order to satisfy a business deal with the Supreme Court. However, he sold the property shortly after confirming his confirmation, and at that time, the executive had no legal business before the Supreme Court.
The Democrats who called for Partisan Department of Justice investigations, impeachment, and other actions will likely sing a different song when they learn that Sonia Sotomayor, a liberal justice, accepted $3.6 million in payment from Penguin Random House Publishing, even though the company had a case before the court. She also refused to recuse herself.
The Daily Wire reported that, in addition to the $3.6m advance (on which Penguin Random House lost money), Sotomayor had received annual payments totaling more than $500,000. In 2013, despite the fact that her then-fellow Justice Stephen Breyer had recused himself from voting in a case concerning Random House, she cast a vote on a case. Sotomayor, in 2020, received a check for $10,586 from Penguin Random House, the same day that a lawsuit was filed against the publisher before the Supreme Court. In February 2020, the Court voted to not hear the case. Sotomayor then received her biggest payment ever from the publisher.
The media have been attacking conservative justices over alleged financial misconduct including failing to disclose free trips. However, Justice Sotomayor failed to disclose six travels funded by outside groups during 2016. She did not face any media scrutiny or the anger of Democrats.
Rep. Mouth-Breather, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., should call for the impeachment of Sotomayor as she did with Thomas if Democrats want to show that their attacks on Thomas, Gorsuch, and the need for congressional oversight are genuine. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, should have called for the Department of Justice’s investigation of Sotomayor as he had done for Thomas.
You and I both know that they will not. Politics, not ethics or corruption was the reason for the attacks on Thomas and Gorsuch. They are angry because the court does not vote as they would like, and want to remove conservative justices.