www.ProtectOurElections.org Files New Disciplinary Complaint with Missouri Bar Against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for Falsifying Disclosure Forms, Enriching His Wife, and Financial Conflicts of Interest

Group Seeks Disbarment

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, February 28, 2011, www.ProtectOurElections.org, filed a lengthy bar complaint with the Missouri Supreme Court, Office of Disciplinary Counsel, against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas alleging three major grounds. First, that Justice Thomas committed crimes by falsifying 20 years of financial disclosure forms under oath by stating that his wife had no "non-investment income," when in fact she received at least $650,000 in such income in the form of salary from various jobs, including the Heritage Foundation. Second, that Justice Thomas labored under a financial conflict of interest by sitting in judgment of a case involving Citizens United when Citizens United had supported his nomination with at least $100,000 in advertising support which in turn generated millions of dollars in free media coverage.  Third, that Justice Thomas and his wife financially benefitted from the decision in Citizens United. The complaint can be viewed at http://www.velvetrevolution.us/images/Clarence_Thomas_MO_Bar_Complaint.pdf.  

"Justice Clarence Thomas, sitting on the highest Court in the country, has, by falsifying disclosure forms, committed the same crime that many other ordinary citizens have been prosecuted and sentenced to prison for since Justice Thomas joined the Supreme Court.   Those defendants were not given a free pass or allowed to simply amend their forms but instead, were held accountable.  And Justice Thomas actually ruled on the Citizens United case after that very litigant had supported his nomination with at least a hundred thousand dollars in advertising attacking Senators opposed to his nomination, a fact that Justice Thomas did not even disclose that fact during the pendency of the case.   And then after the Citizens United decision, Justice Thomas' wife Virginia quit her job at the Heritage Foundation and launched two companies raising more than a half million dollars based on the ruling in Citizens United.  This type of corruption and financial nepotism is universally condemned by our government when it occurs in foreign countries, yet Justice Thomas has not even had the decency to step down once it was disclosed.  Therefore, we have asked the Missouri Supreme Court to disbar Justice Thomas on the basis of Rule of Professional Conduct 8.4, which prohibits criminal and unethical conduct that reflects adversely on honesty, trustworthiness,  misrepresentation or fitness as a lawyer, or that seriously interferes with the administration of justice.  We have also asked the Attorney General to initiate a criminal prosecution against Justice Thomas on these same grounds. We believe that the time has come for Justice Roberts and others who may hold sway with Justice Thomas to ask him to leave the Court as did Justice Fortas when he was caught up in a financial scandal. Every day that he remains on the bench further undermines the public's confidence in the Court."  

Thousands of people have signed the ProtectOurElections.com petition to the Justice Department requesting prosecution of Justice Thomas. http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/prosecute_clarence_thomas/  

Thousands more have signed its petition requesting Congress to hold hearings on this matter. http://www.velvetrevolution.us/petitions/pnum1067.php

For more information, visit www.ProtectOurElections.org.

SOURCE ProtectOurElections.org