Politics, Supreme Court

Ginni Thomas's Grassroots Movement In Favor Of The Trump Travel Ban

In a leaked email sent to a conservative listerv, Ginni Thomas looks to organize around Trump's agenda.

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(Photo by Gerald Martineau/Washington Post/Getty Images)

(Photo by Gerald Martineau/Washington Post/Getty Images)

The Trump Administration may have called off the fight on its travel ban in favor of a new and improved (and ideally constitutional) one, but it is still important to note the support the executive order had. For example, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, wife of Clarence Thomas and a conservative lobbyist, is really anxious to organize a “ground up-grassroots army for pro-Trump” action.

In a leaked email sent to a conservative listerv and obtained by the Daily Beast, Ginni Thomas was looking to organize around Trump’s agenda, and using buzzwords that suggest a pro-travel ban stance:

“What is the best way to, with minimal costs, set up a daily text capacity for a ground up-grassroots army for pro-Trump daily action items to push back against the left’s resistance efforts who are trying to make America ungovernable?” she wrote.

“I see the left has Daily Action @YourDailyAction and their Facebook likes are up to 61K,” she continued.

She then linked to a Washington Post story about the group.

“But there are some grassroots activists, who seem beyond the Republican party or the conservative movement, who wish to join the fray on social media for Trump and link shields and build momentum,” she wrote. “I met with a house load of them yesterday and we want a daily textable tool to start… Suggestions?”

Some observers read the language as directly related to the Muslim ban:

Norm Eisen, a Brookings Institution scholar who formerly helped the Obama administration’s ethics initiatives, said that the email sounds related to the travel ban.

“Given the timing of this email, the liberal example that Mrs. Thomas’s email cites, and the nature of the matters that are in the news, one must read this email as effectively asking, ‘What is the best way to set up a daily text capacity for ground-up grassroots army for pro-Trump daily action including to defend the muslim ban executive order cases?’” he said. “It’s reasonable to read the email that way. So there you have her talking about doing meetings and doing activism relating to an issue that is quite likely to be before the court.

Trump’s decision to punt on the travel ban has put off the inevitable hand-wringing over Justice Thomas potentially recusing himself if litigation over a future ban makes it to the Supreme Court. Remember there are no hard and fast rules about recusal on SCOTUS; indeed, Thomas refused to recuse himself on the ACA case despite Ginni’s vocal opposition to, and work on defeating, the law.

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But it is fair to note not everyone agrees with, or is swayed by, the politics of their spouse:

“It’s an important principle: Just because you’re married to somebody doesn’t mean you share all their views,” said Charles Wolfram, a legal ethics expert and emeritus law professor at Cornell.

“As a matter of common sense, it seems to me it’s just silly for her to be emailing in this fashion,” he added.

We’ll have to wait and see what thorny issues arise when the next incarnation of the ban is implemented.

Leaked Emails Show Justice Clarence Thomas’s Wife Pushing Travel Ban [The Daily Beast]

Earlier: Trump Won’t Keep Fighting For Old Travel Ban, Tells Court He’s Writing A New One

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headshotKathryn Rubino is an editor at Above the Law. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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