Congressional Democrats have long had it out for the U.S. Supreme Court as an institution and when it comes to the conservative justices in particular. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), who serves as the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, is chief among them. tmatRaskin is going after Justice Samuel Alito by name this time, as he calls on the justice to recuse himself from Trump v. New York in deciding if the president-elect can be sentenced in his hush-money case on Friday.
“In our democracy, Americans expect their cases to be heard by impartial judges. This concept of impartiality goes back further than the Court’s own Code of Conduct and underlies even the earliest versions of the federal recusal statute,” Raskin said, per Fox News’ Chad Pergram. “The mere act of having a personal telephone conversation with the president-elect, while he has active interests in matters currently pending before the court, is plainly sufficient to trigger a situation ‘in which the Justice’s impartiality might reasonably be questioned.’ Every federal judge and justice knows he or she must avoid situations such as this. Yet Justice Alito did not.”
Top Dem on House Judiciary Cmte Raskin wants Alito to recuse himself in Trump v. New York. Raskin: In our democracy, Americans expect their cases to be heard by impartial judges. This concept of impartiality goes back further than the Court’s own Code of Conduct and underlies…
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) January 9, 2025
Such a reaction came after Alito and Trump reportedly spoke with one another over the phone earlier this week, with Alito explaining that it was to discuss the qualifications of a former law clerk of his.
As The Washington Post mentioned:
Alito said in a statement that he took the call from Trump on behalf of a former law clerk who is seeking a job in the new administration. Alito said he discussed Will Levi’s qualifications with the president-elect but did not talk about Trump’s upcoming sentencing for a 34-count felony conviction related to a hush money payment in 2016.
At the time of the phone call Tuesday, Alito said, he was unaware that Trump planned to ask the Supreme Court to delay the sentencing. The president-elect says the criminal proceeding would improperly disrupt his transition back to the White House. That request landed with the high court late Tuesday night.
…
Alito, however, described the call as routine. Court experts said it is typical for justices to provide recommendations for former clerks, but direct communications between presidents and justices have grown less common in recent years.
“We did not discuss the emergency application he filed today, and indeed, I was not even aware at the time of our conversation that such an application would be filed,” Alito wrote in a Wednesday statement, which was first reported by ABC News. “We also did not discuss any other matter that is pending or might in the future come before the Supreme Court or any past Supreme Court decisions involving the President-elect.” […]
— Read More: townhall.com
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