Lawyers Call for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to Testify Under Oath

This weekend, lawyers Tristan Snell and Laurence Tribe took to Twitter to call for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to be subpoenaed and testify under oath before hearing cases related to the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. Snell, a former federal prosecutor, tweeted that “Justice Thomas must be subpoenaed to testify under oath before he hears any case involving the Jan 6th insurrection.” He argued that since Thomas was at the Capitol on January 6th and has already made public statements about it, he should not be allowed to hear cases related to it without first testifying under oath. Tribe echoed Snell’s sentiment in his own tweet. “Agreed with @TristanJSnell that Justice Thomas should be subpoenaed & required 2 testify under oath b4 deciding any case arising out of Jan 6 events @USCapitol — including Trump's impeachment trial," Tribe wrote. "He has publicly prejudged key issues & can't fairly decide w/o full disclosure." Thomas had previously stated that he did not witness anything untoward during his visit to the Capitol on January 6th. However, Snell and Tribe argue that this is insufficient given the gravity of the situation and potential conflicts of interest posed by having a sitting justice hear cases related directly or indirectly to his own experience at the Capitol on January 6th. The two lawyers have received widespread support from their peers in legal circles as well as members of Congress who are calling for an investigation into what happened at the Capitol on January 6th and whether anyone connected with it should face criminal charges or other sanctions. It remains unclear whether or not there will be an official inquiry into this matter or if Justice Thomas will ultimately agree to testify under oath before hearing any cases related to it.