Virginia Lamp (“Ginni”) Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, was back in the news recently, when ProPublica reported she secretly praised the right-wing First Liberty Institute, which has been working against Supreme Court reform. But First Liberty isn’t the only right-wing group that Ginni Thomas has praised. The website of the conservative Americans for Limited Government (ALG) prominently features Ginni’s ringing endorsement of the group and its president Rick Manning.
Since first posting Ginni’s endorsement to its site, ALG has defended the Thomases over allegations of misconduct and become a frequent advocate at the Supreme Court.
According to Ginni Thomas, “If America had an official fire department to help preserve our liberties, Rick Manning and Americans for Limited Government could be its Captain. Rick has the unusual combination of focus, know-how and capacity to impact fast! He fills a vital role for America’s survival in these perilous times and can move faster than most nonprofits – which is sorely needed!”
Rick Manning, a veteran conservative activist and state-level NRA lobbyist during the 80s and 90s, joined ALG in 2010. Despite (or because of?) his rather questionable choice to promote a conspiracy theory about the Bureau of Labor Statistics faking data, Trump tapped Manning for his Department of Labor transition team.
Ginni’s endorsement of ALG is featured alongside those of esteemed Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, esteemed christian nationalist Russ Vought, and esteemed Arizona State Senator Jake Hoffman—indicted this year for his role in the fake electors scheme.
According to snapshots saved on the Internet Archive, Thomas’s endorsement was first published on ALG’s website between September 29 and October 5, 2021. In December 2020, ALG had supported the fake electors plot, and in January 2021, it issued a statement saying that Trump was “right not to concede” the 2020 election “because it would be tantamount to accepting fraud.”
In April 2022, about six months after first posting Ginni’s endorsement to its site, ALG issued a press release defending the Thomases after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) filed articles of impeachment over Justice Thomas’s failure to recuse from the January 6 records case involving Ginni’s texts.
In recent years, the group has become a frequent amicus brief filer. Prior to receiving Ginni’s endorsement, the group appears to have only filed a single amicus brief in a Supreme Court case, back in 2008. However, since allying with Ginni Thomas, ALG has joined a number of amicus briefs, including three in high profile cases this past term: SEC v. Jarkesy, Moyle v. U.S, and NRA v. Vullo.
In 2024, it joined five briefs urging the court to take up specific cases in the upcoming term:
- No on E. v. Chiu
- Goldstein v. Professional Staff Congress/CUNY
- Diamond Alternative Energy v. EPA
- Parents Protecting Our Children v. Eau Claire Area School District
- National Religious Broadcasters v. Copyright Royalty Board, et al.
The Supreme Court has denied cert in the last case, but it still may grant the first four.
Following ProPublica’s reporting, Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin (D-IL) called on Clarence Thomas to recuse from cases in which First Liberty Institute is involved. Whether or not Justice Thomas will heed this call is anyone’s guess (just kidding, he won’t!). Regardless, Thomas should recuse from any case ALG is involved in as well.
“Ginni Thomas (32317079833)” by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.