Justice Thomas gives Sen. Lindsey Graham temporary reprieve on testifying before grand jury

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Justice Thomas gives Sen. Lindsey Graham…

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thomas gives Sen. Lindsey Graham temporary reprieve on testifying before grand jury

By Debra Cassens Weiss

October 24, 2022, 3:01 pm CDT

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U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Monday stayed an order that required Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina to testify before a grand jury investigating 2020 election interference.

Thomas granted an administrative stay and asked Georgia prosecutors to respond by Thursday, report CNN, the New York Times, SCOTUSblog and the Washington Post.

The New York Times says Thomas’ administrative stay is intended to give the Supreme Court “some breathing room” as it considers Graham’s emergency application to bar grand jury questioning. According to the Washington Post, the grand jury subpoena orders Graham to testify Nov. 17.

Graham is represented in the Supreme Court by former White House counsel Don McGahn.

Graham contends that he is protected from testifying because of the speech or debate clause, which says for “any speech or debate in either house,” members of Congress “shall not be questioned in any other place.”

A federal judge had ruled Sept. 1 that the clause protects Graham from being questioned about efforts to gather information in connection with his decision on certification of the 2020 election results. But the judge allowed questions about other conduct, including efforts to “cajole” or “exhort” Georgia election officials.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Atlanta upheld that approach in an Oct. 20 opinion.

Thomas handles emergency appeals from the 11th Circuit.

Hat tip to @JohnKruzel.

See also:

ABAJournal.com: “Top Texas court questions subpoena efforts by Georgia grand jury probing efforts to overturn 2020 election”

ABAJournal.com: “Rudy Giuliani is ordered to testify before Georgia grand jury probing attempts to overturn 2020 election”

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