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Petition to impeach US Supreme Court judge passes 1 million signatures

MoveOn is calling for the impeachment of Justice Clarence Thomas following the overturning of Roe vs Wade.

By Emily Maskell

Words: Emily Maskell; pictures: Wiki Commons

A petition to impeach the US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has gained more than a million signatures.

The petition was created three months ago but gained momentum in recent weeks in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs Wade, the ruling which allowed the right to an abortion.

 
 
 
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In his opinion following the overturn Justice Thomas suggested the court should revisit other precedents like Obergefell vs Hodge and Lawrence vs Texas; the right to marriage equality and same-sex intimacy, respectively.

The petition, created by advocacy group MoveOn, calls for Justice Thomas’ immediate resignation otherwise “Congress must immediately investigate and impeach.”

As well as warning that Thomas’ judgment on Roe Vs Wade indicates an intention to “overturn high court rulings that establish gay rights and contraception rights,” the petition highlights Thomas’ vote against a Supreme Court decision “to compel the release of Donald Trump’s records regarding the January 6 insurrection and attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.”

Avengers actor Mark Ruffalo is among high profile figures to tweet the petition adding on Twitter: “Justice Clarence Thomas has proven that he cannot be impartial and focuses on ‘covering up his wife’s coup attempts’ than the health of the American people.”

Ruffalo continues: “Please sign this petition demanding he resign or be impeached!”

Though it remains unlikely that Justice Thomas will be forced out of the Supreme Court, the petition offers an indication of the pushback from the American public against the Justice’s position in the Supreme Court. 

Justice Thomas was appointed by former President George Bush and stands as the current longest-serving Supreme Court member.

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