Watchdog Group Files Additional Bar Complaint on Conflict Of Interest Grounds

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The watchdog group www.ProtectOurElections.org filed a second bar complaint on February 15, 2011 against Justice Clarence Thomas for bias and actual conflict of interest for his failure to disqualify himself from Citizens United v Federal Election Commission , 130 S.Ct. 876 (2010), and hiding the fact that Citizens United Foundation had supported his nomination and spent at least $100,000 on commercials attacking several Senators opposed to his nomination. The second bar complaint, filed with the Washington, D.C. Office of Bar Counsel, is at http://www.velvetrevolution.us/images/Clarence_Thomas_Bar_Supplement.pdf.

As reported in 1991 by Time Magazine, "The commercials, shown only in Washington at a cost of about $100,000, have reaped millions of dollars' worth of free publicity through network television and print-media reproductions that have accompanied news stories about the flap. That probably was the intent all along." http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,973826,00.html#ixzz1DzuvQ4Rz See also http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/13/business/media/13ADCO.html ("The Citizens United Foundation, a group that ran commercials in 1991 supporting the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court...").

"Justice Thomas was obligated under the Supreme Court's June 2009 decision in Caperton v. Massey, to disqualify himself from Citizens United," said ProtectOurElections attorney and spokesman Kevin Zeese. "Indeed, the facts of the two cases are eerily similar, as we now know, with Citizens United Foundation actually supporting Thomas' nomination and creating what amounted to be millions of dollars in advertising and publicity to attack opposing Senators. Yet, Justice Thomas, just months after the ruling in Caperton, proceeded to sit in judgment of Citizens United without sua sponte recusing himself or disclosing the conflict. Justice Thomas owed his spot on the Court to Citizens United Foundation, and he repaid that debt with his favorable ruling in Citizens United. Clearly, his bias undermined the fairness of the judicial system and deprived the FEC due process."

ProtectOurElections.org has released a video about this conflict on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJX7CPPiBjk The group is seeking the disbarment of Justice Thomas http://www.velvetrevolution.us/images/Clarence_Thomas_Bar_Complaint.pdf and has asked the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice to prosecute him for falsifying 20 years of financial disclosure reports. http://www.velvetrevolution.us/images/Clarence_Thomas_Public_Integrity_Complaint.pdf The Public Integrity Section was provided with a copy of the second bar complaint.

For more on this developing story, visit www.ProtectOurElections.org.

SOURCE www.ProtectOurElections.org