Clarence Thomas' wife holds TEA Party

[Chris]

Virginia Thomas runs LibertyCentral.org, a new 501c4 organization committed to becoming the "big tent'' for conservatives and promoting the values of the "TEA Party'' movement.

Legal experts are saying there is no conflict for a sitting judge and a wife actively involved in politics - until such point in time when the court starts ruling on cases involving corporations or interests financing the spouse's political organization. So reports Nina Totenberg of National Public Radio in her dispatch today on the Thomas duo.

 Totenberg called on New York University law professor Stephen Gillers, author of a text on legal ethics, who says judges cannot rule on cases in which their spouses have a financial interest, but politics is fair play.

However, the new organization will be accepting contributions from a variety of sources, including corporations, under campaign finance rules recently loosened by the Supreme Court, Totenberg notes. Gillers says "the crunch point" will come if Thomas' organization "gets substantial contributions from companies or trade associations that have interests in matters that are pending at the Supreme Court, or headed for the Supreme Court."

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2010/03/clarence_thomas_wife_holds_tea.html

Heard this on the radio this morning... I hope Nina didn't hurt herself stretching her silly story as far as she did.

[thundley4]

This isn't the first time that a sitting judges spouse has done something politically related. It's a non-issue except to the lefties looking to denigrate the TEA Party movement.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Some of the DUmmies are claiming this violates the code of conduct by the family member of a Supreme Court justice.  I'm sure Olberdork will be all over this "story", along with his dozens of viewers.

[DefiantSix]

Some of the DUmmies are claiming this violates the code of conduct by the family member of a Supreme Court justice.  I'm sure Olberdork will be all over this "story", along with his dozens of viewers.

You aren't supposed to count the multiple personalities of both Ãœbertard's viewers individually.  Only with ACORN do all of them have a vote. 

[thundley4]

At the  bottom of the article .

Hamblen said other judges have had politically active spouses. For instance, Third Circuit Judge Marjorie O. Rendell is married to Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor, Ed Rendell. Following the judicial Committee on Codes of Conduct, Marjorie Rendell does not accompany her husband to political events.

And out in California, Ninth Circuit Judge Stephen R. Reinhardt recuses himself in cases brought by the Southern California branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, which is headed by his wife, Ramona Ripston.

[franksolich]

So, speaking of conflicts of interest, when is someone going to go after Congressman Rosa DeLauro (D-Connecticut), whose husband is a major lobbyist for things on which his wife has a vote?

If that's not a conflict of interest, I have no idea what a conflict of interest is.