Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York, introduced articles of impeachment on Wednesday against Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr., accusing them of improperly failing to disclose gifts from wealthy benefactors and to recuse themselves from certain cases before the Supreme Court.
There is no realistic chance of impeachment advancing in the Republican-controlled House. But some Democrats say their party must make a case against the justices in the court of public opinion — especially since the Supreme Court ruled this month that presidents have substantial immunity from prosecution, upending criminal cases against former President Donald J. Trump.
Some Democrats also hope that concern about the Supreme Court could be a motivating issue for voters, as a conservative supermajority cemented by Mr. Trump’s three appointments to the court has reshaped U.S. law on major issues including abortion, presidential power and government regulations.
The articles of impeachment contend, among other allegations, that Justices Alito and Thomas were obligated to recuse themselves from cases related to Mr. Trump’s and his allies’ efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election — Justice Thomas because his wife participated in those efforts and Justice Alito because flags associated with the efforts flew outside Justice Alito’s homes.
“The unchecked corruption crisis on the Supreme Court has now spiraled into a constitutional crisis threatening American democracy writ large,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement. She added that the justices’ actions posed “a grave threat to American rule of law, the integrity of our democracy and one of the clearest cases for which the tool of impeachment was designed.”
The Supreme Court’s press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Justices Thomas and Alito.
The articles of impeachment against Justice Thomas allege that he committed high crimes and misdemeanors — the constitutional standard for impeachment — by failing to disclose gifts from the billionaire Harlan Crow, and by not recusing himself from cases in which his wife, Virginia Thomas, is accused of having financial and legal interests.
They note that, in addition to participating in the efforts to overturn the 2020 election, Ms. Thomas had financial connections to conservative organizations that filed amicus briefs in some cases.
The articles against Justice Alito allege that he committed high crimes and misdemeanors by refusing to recuse himself from the election-related cases after an upside-down American flag — a symbol adopted by supporters of Mr. Trump’s efforts — was flown outside one of his homes, and a second flag associated with the Jan. 6, 2021, rioters on the U.S. Capitol was flown outside another of his homes. (He has said that his wife put up the flags and that he did not support flying them.)
The articles say Justice Alito violated a law requiring justices to recuse themselves if their “impartiality might reasonably be questioned.” The articles also accuse him of improperly failing to disclose luxury travel paid for by Paul Singer, a Republican donor with interests before the court.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s resolution listed eight other House Democrats as cosponsors: Representatives Jamaal Bowman of New York, Jasmine Crockett of Texas, Maxwell Frost of Florida, Barbara Lee of California, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Delia Ramirez of Illinois, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey.
Several left-leaning organizations — including Our Revolution, founded by Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont; NextGen America; and others focused on court reform — also said they supported the effort.
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