Weekly Briefs: SCOTUS justice's wife stands by stolen-election views; district attorney's daughter arrested in his stabbing
Conservative activist Virginia “Ginni” Thomas walks during a break in a voluntary interview Sept. 29 in Washington, D.C., with the House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Photo by Manuel Balce Ceneta/The Associated Press.
Ginni Thomas tells Jan. 6 committee about her stolen-election views
Conservative activist Virginia “Ginni” Thomas told the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack that she still thinks that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from former President Donald Trump, according to the committee’s chair, Democratic U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi. Thomas is married to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. She agreed to the interview following reports that she backed efforts to investigate and overturn the election. She told the committee that she and her husband never talk about pending Supreme Court cases, according to prepared remarks obtained by the New York Times. (The New York Times, the Associated Press, Law360)
District attorney calls for more mental health funds after his stabbing
Tulsa County, Oklahoma, District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler is calling for more state funding for mental health programs following the arrest of his 30-year-old daughter for allegedly stabbing him. Kunzweiler showed no visible signs of the attack when he spoke Wednesday, a day after the incident. He was stabbed in the arm and midsection. (The Associated Press, Public Radio Tulsa)
Lawyer fired after Capitol riot enters guilty plea
Charleston, South Carolina, lawyer David Charles Johnston, 66, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor Sept. 23 for entering the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. Johnston pleaded guilty to parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. Johnston’s law license has been suspended on an interim basis. He was fired from his job at the George Sink personal injury law firm after he was charged in May. (Law360, Law & Crime)
Chinese rights lawyer is released from prison
Chinese human rights lawyer Zhou Shifeng has been released from prison after serving a seven-year sentence for subversion. He was the first lawyer to stand trial in China after the 2015 arrests of about two dozen lawyers and activists. Zhou led the Fengrui law firm, which had taken on politically sensitive cases. He also represented families suing over tainted baby formula. (The South China Morning Post)
