Litigation

Virginia Thomas Starts Lobbying Group

By Peter Hardin

Virginia Thomas, whose husband is Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has started a tea-party linked lobbying group called Liberty Central Inc.

According to a Los Angeles Times article, the step by “Ginni” Thomas (as she is known) “could test the traditional notions of political impartiality for the court.” The article summed up the views of ethics experts this way:

“Experts say Virginia Thomas’ work doesn’t violate ethical rules for judges. But Liberty Central could give rise to conflicts of interest for her husband, they said, as it tests the norm for judicial spouses.”

The group can raise money from corporate donors and “largely avoid disclosing its donors,” the newspaper reported. Under the high court’s Citizens United decision, in which Justice Thomas joined a 5-4 majority, it can spend corporate dollars on independent advertising to support or oppose candidates for office.

Ginni Thomas intends to go to  some high-profile Tea Party rallies in the near future, according to Fox News.

The national coordinator for Liberty Central, Sue Hamblen, told the Washington Post that Thomas consulted with ethics officials for the courts and was advised her work was not a conflict of interest. “She did not give up her First Amendment rights when her husband became a Supreme Court judge,” Hamblen said.

Full post as published by The Gavel on March 16, 2010 (boomark / email).