Seventeen advocacy teams are calling for a congressional investigation into Supreme Courtroom Justice Clarence Thomas following revelations that his spouse sought to have the 2020 election overturned.

The teams, which embody left-leaning Indivisible and MoveOn Civic Motion, requested the investigation in a letter Friday to the respective chairs of the Home and Senate judiciary committees. The letter is a part of rising scrutiny the conservative justice faces in response to reporting that his spouse, Virginia Thomas, pressed a prime Trump White Home aide to refuse to concede the 2020 presidential election.

"These investigations ought to study whether or not Justice Thomas' conduct was according to fundamental rules of judicial ethics, whether or not he violated federal regulation and his oath to 'impartially discharge and carry out' his judicial duties, and what actions have to be taken in response," reads the letter, addressed to Senator Dick Durbin and Consultant Jerry Nadler.

Clarence Thomas and Ginni Thomas
Advocacy teams are calling for an investigation into conservative Supreme Courtroom Justice Clarence Thomas after texts despatched by his spouse Virginia Thomas to a prime Trump aide just lately got here to gentle. Pictured, Clarence and Virginia Thomas sit on the Heritage Basis on October 21, 2021, in Washington, D.C.Drew Angerer/Getty Photographs

The letter argues that Thomas has already violated a federal statute that blocks justices from listening to circumstances the place their "impartiality may fairly be questioned" or their partner has "an curiosity that could possibly be considerably affected by the result of the continuing."

Earlier this yr, the Supreme Courtroom declined to listen to former President Donald Trump's request to dam data from being launched to the Home committee investigating the January 6 rebellion.

The letter factors out that Thomas was the one justice keen to listen to the case (however supplied no public rationalization), and Virginia Thomas, who goes by Ginni, was a signatory to a letter castigating the January 6 committee. Clarence Thomas, the letter argues, violated the federal impartiality statute by not recusing himself from the case.

Earlier this month, The Washington Submit and CBS printed texts from Virginia Thomas to then-White Home Chief of Employees Mark Meadows repeating baseless claims the 2020 election was stolen and different right-wing conspiracy theories. Virginia Thomas has beforehand acknowledged she was current on the rally main as much as a mob storming the Capitol on January 6, however left early.

The letter, additionally signed by American Atheists and the League of Conservation Voters, factors to how Justice Thomas has by no means recused himself from a case associated to his spouse's long-running political actions and initially did not disclose her consulting charges.

"Public belief within the Courtroom is already at an historic low," reads the letter. "Permitting Justice Thomas to keep away from scrutiny will certainly trigger the American folks's religion in our judicial system to deteriorate additional — maybe past restore."

For the reason that textual content messages had been reported, Justice Thomas has confronted rising stress from Democratic lawmakers and others to recuse himself from future circumstances involving his spouse's political actions and for an overhaul of the Courtroom's ethics guidelines. Different have referred to as for Thomas, the Courtroom's longest-serving justice, to be impeached for not recusing himself earlier.

Newsweek has reached out to Justice Thomas, Durbin and Nadler for remark.