The Supreme Court spurned a petition Monday from former Trump lawyer John Eastman in an order that Justice Clarence Thomas recused himself from.
The Supreme Court spurned a petition Monday from former Trump lawyer John Eastman while Justice Clarence Thomas recused himself — the first time he has done so in a case involving the 45th president’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election that culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Eastman had asked the high court to review a lower court order that effectively granted the now-defunct House select committee probing the riot access to a batch of his emails.
A list released Monday detailing the Supreme Court’s orders noted that “Thomas took no part in the consideration or decision of this petition.”
No explanation was provided for the recusal, as is typical in such orders.
Last year, Eastman sought to prevent the Jan. 6 committee from compelling Chapman University, his former employer, to fork over his emails.
