Justice John Paul Stevens defends Justice Thomas

By Kimberly Atkins The Daily Record Newswire Retired Justice John Paul Stevens defended his former Supreme Court colleague Justice Clarence Thomas, who is under fire from some members of Congress who want Thomas investigated on conflict-of-interest charges. Some lawmakers have asked the Justice Department to investigate whether Thomas violated ethics rules when he failed to disclose his wife's income from conservative and Tea Party- related organizations on his financial disclosures. But Stevens said he does not believe Thomas's wife's activities nor the financial disclosure omissions have any effect on the way Thomas deliberates. "I ... don't think there's a chance in the world that it will affect his vote,'' Stevens told USA Today's Joan Biskupic. ''That is one vote that you really can predict.'' But Stevens also said of the Thomases: ''You can't help but wish that they had a lower profile." Published: Thu, Nov 3, 2011