A "leaky" Clarence Thomas? Not sure if this has been posted yet, but very interesting...

[NRaleighLiberal]

http://reason.com/blog/2012/07/03/thinkprogress-thinks-justice-thomas-migh?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:%20reason/HitandRun%20(Reason%20Online%20-%20Hit%20%26%20Run%20Blog)

from ThinkProgress

"Ian Millhiser at ThinkProgress is willing to ask what The New York Times might have maybe been hinting at: Was Justice Clarence Thomas one of the unnamed sources who told CBS reporter Jan Crawford that Chief Justice John Roberts switched his vote on the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate?

As evidence, Millhiser points to two paragraphs buried deep in a Times story by Adam Liptak:

But the possibility that conservatives had victory within reach only to lose it seemed to infuriate some of them. The CBS News report, attributed to two sources with “specific knowledge of the deliberations,” appeared to give voice to the frustrations of people associated with the court’s conservative wing. It was written by Jan Crawford, whose 2007 book, “Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Control of the United States Supreme Court,” was warmly received by conservatives.

In a 2009 interview on C-Span, Justice Thomas singled her out as a favorite reporter. “There are wonderful people out here who do a good job — do a fantastic job — like Jan Greenburg,” Justice Thomas said, referring to Ms. Crawford by her married name at the time."

snip

Some tweeting about possibly a reason to impeach? Hmmm

[WCGreen]

1. I really think that Roberts just took a good look down the road and realized

that he would be on the wrong side of history and didn't want to be tied to the denial of affordable health care for millions of American citizens...

[teddy51]

3. Or did he actually do his job and forget about politics in this case? Either way, I am happy

with his decision.

[JDPriestly]

8. My belief. He was not moved by politics but by the law of it.

Also, he has two young children and therefore may be more aware of the problems with kids and pre-existing conditions (not that I think his children have any. I don't know anything about them.) and the cost of for-profit insurance. We used to have non-profit insurance available. I think it was cheaper. So, some of the members of the Court may have raised their children when insurance was not such a huge thing.

After reading the ThinkProgress article, it occurred to me that Roberts (and/or his clerks) may have started to write an opinion disapproving of the bill especially the mandate and then been unable to complete it because it just didn't work. Congress does have the power to tax and spend, and the mandate is to be collected by the IRS which among other agencies carries out Congress' tax authority.

[WCGreen]

11. A combination ofhis children and forhis legacy...

He seems to be a thoughful man...

[hifiguy]

12. I honestly think this was a big part of it.

Roberts, unlike Thomas, is not anything like a stupid man. He also seems to take the institutional role of the SCOTUS very seriously, as a Chief Justice should. Chiefs are judged by whether they ride the crest of history's wave or, like King Canute, order the tide to stop coming in. The latter group is not treated well by history. To this day the only thing Chief Justice Roger Taney is remembered for is Dred Scott. Roberts has no desire to be another Taney.

[Skittles]

2. Clarence would only leak whatever Antonin told him to leak

yes INDEED

[Tx4obama]

4. Here's a DU link below

this link has the original FULL Think Progress article: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002898902

[NRaleighLiberal]

5. thanks - I suspected it appeared here somewhere. appreciated!

[libodem]

6. Maybe Miss Ginny

Should have kept her greedy shit hooks out of all those enrichment schemes and teaparty cheerleading efforts, and the big conflict of interest problems, out of the spotlight. Justice Nastypants needs to lay low or he could be impeached.

[unblock]

7. how is a justice talking to the press a reason to impeach?

there's plenty of legimate reasons to impeach thomas, but talking to the press is merely a breach in court tradition, not any law or even ethical principle.

[StateApparatus]

9. Thomas?

I wouldn't have credited Thomas with the initiative and aggressiveness to do something like this. He's more of a tiny, ineffectual flag-waver. My guess would have been Kennedy, or (in any other situation) Roberts. But you never know...

[Motown_Johnny]

10. He may have told his wife, who was paid to see that the law is overturned.

To me that would seem to be the most likely source of the leak.

[Spazito]

13. I think it was Thomas, using his wife as a conduit,...

doing the leaking. It makes the most sense given her very blatant work in trying to defeat the ACA and Thomas having an apparent lack of understanding of what a USSC judge should do ie keep politics OUT of his considerations of cases before him and the others.