The Senate Judiciary Committee has called on Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to investigate Justice Clarence Thomas for failing to disclose 20 years' worth of lavish gifts and luxury travel from a GOP megadonor. The Committee, chaired by Dick Durbin, is also planning to hold a hearing on the need to restore public confidence in the Supreme Court. The ProPublica report revealed that Thomas had failed to disclose the gifts and trips as required by law, sparking the latest development in a long-running controversy surrounding the Supreme Court's ethics standards.
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Tennessee state Rep. Justin Jones, who was expelled from the GOP-dominated House of Representatives last week, is shocked at reports of legislators threatening local officials with funding cuts if he is reappointed. Rep. Gloria Johnson, who also participated in the protest, survived the vote and was not expelled. The Metro Council is meeting Monday to consider reappointing Rep. Jones, and the outcome of the meeting will show whether they stand up to the threats made by the state legislature.
The Tennessee House of Representatives is set to reconvene Monday, with the Nashville Metropolitan Council meeting to consider the recent expulsion of two young Black lawmakers. The expulsion, which was a two-thirds majority vote cast by their Republican colleagues, has sparked national attention to racial dynamics in the state's top legislative body. Demonstrators are expected to gather at the Capitol to protest the expulsion and the outcome of the Council's meeting is yet to be seen.
The Tennessee state House of Representatives voted last week to expel two Democratic lawmakers, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, for their involvement in protests on the chamber floor. The expulsion resolution was sponsored by Republican Representative Andrew Farmer, and passed despite criticism of his comments during the vote. A vote to expel a third Democrat, Gloria Johnson, fell short. The expulsion of Jones and Pearson has sparked debate over the role of activism in the legislature and its effect on the balance of power in the chamber.
Tennessee lawmakers voted to expel Rep. Justin Jones, the first of three Democratic representatives, from the state House on Thursday, following their protest on the chamber floor against gun violence. This is the first time in state history that a House member has been expelled for alleged chamber rules violations, sparking debate among lawmakers and citizens alike. The expulsion proceedings come amid pressure from the GOP supermajority to tighten gun laws, with the representatives accused of breaking House rules on conduct and decorum.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife, Ginni Thomas, have been taking luxury trips subsidized by GOP megadonor Harlan Crow for more than two decades without reporting them, according to a new report from ProPublica. This has sparked outrage from influential Democrats and judicial advocates, and calls for Congress to investigate potential ethical lapses. The report has raised questions about whether Thomas has violated federal ethics laws.
Over 250 legislators from across the United States have signed a letter condemning the proposed expulsion of three Democratic legislators in Tennessee for protesting gun violence on the state House floor. The letter calls the proposed expulsion an "anti-democratic" attempt to "silence" elected leaders on an important issue and a "clear violation of the First Amendment". It calls on the Tennessee House of Representatives to reconsider its actions and protect the right of its members to speak out on behalf of their constituents.
Wisconsin has seen a major shift in its political landscape this week, with Janet Protasiewicz, a liberal backed by Democrats, winning a seat on the Wisconsin state Supreme Court and flipping the ideological balance of the court to the liberal bloc for the first time in 15 years. Meanwhile, Republicans won a supermajority in the state Senate's 8th District, but a newly elected Republican state senator is threatening to impeach Protasiewicz and challenge the GOP-gerrymandered maps. These results have the potential to shape the future of Wisconsin politics.