# Plain Language Summary: Impeachment Resolution Against Justice Clarence Thomas

This resolution proposes to impeach Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on three main grounds related to ethics violations and conflicts of interest. A group of Democratic House members introduced it in July 2024, arguing that Thomas should be removed from office for failing to follow federal ethics laws that apply to all judges.

The first charge focuses on undisclosed gifts. Federal law requires Supreme Court justices to publicly report gifts they receive, including their source and value. According to this resolution, Justice Thomas accepted expensive gifts from billionaire Harlan Crow over at least 15 years without reporting them. These gifts allegedly included luxury yacht trips to Indonesia, Greece, and New Zealand valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars, private airplane flights, and free stays at an exclusive resort. The resolution also claims Thomas failed to properly report the sale of property to Crow and didn't disclose that Crow paid for private school tuition for Thomas's grandnephew. The concern is that accepting such valuable gifts from someone whose organization regularly appears before the Supreme Court could create the appearance that Thomas is being influenced in his decisions.

The second and third charges involve conflicts of interest related to Thomas's wife, Ginni Thomas. Federal law says judges must remove themselves from cases where their impartiality might reasonably be questioned. The resolution argues that Thomas should have recused himself from cases involving organizations that financially supported his wife or in which she had financial interests. It also claims Thomas should have recused himself from cases about the 2020 election and the January 6 Capitol riot because his wife was actively involved in efforts to overturn the election results, including texting with White House officials about litigation strategy. The resolution contends that Thomas participated in these cases anyway, including voting in a way that would have helped Trump block the release of records related to January 6.

For most Americans, this resolution has limited immediate practical impact because impeachment of a Supreme Court justice is extremely rare and difficult. The House would need to vote to impeach Thomas, and then the Senate would need a two-thirds majority to convict and remove him—a threshold that has never been met for any Supreme Court justice in American history. However, the resolution highlights ongoing debates about judicial ethics, whether current disclosure rules are strong enough, and whether Supreme Court justices should recuse themselves from cases involving their spouses' interests or donors who support organizations appearing before the Court.

Impeaching Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.

<p>This resolution impeaches Justice Clarence Thomas for high crimes and misdemeanors for (1) failing to disclose certain gifts in required financial disclosure reports, and (2) refusing to disqualify himself from proceedings in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned.</p>