SJ Mercury News Dec. 13, 2000 Two justices' families linked to election case Los Angeles Times WASHINGTON -- Supreme Court justices rarely recuse themselves, but some critics questioned whether Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas should have participated in the ruling on Bush vs. Gore because of the roles of family members. Lanny J. Davis, a former attorney in the Clinton White House, and others call attention to the fact that Scalia's son Eugene is a Washington law partner of Theodore B. Olson, the attorney who twice has argued before the Supreme Court on behalf of Texas Gov. George W. Bush. Another son, John Scalia, is an attorney in the Miami firm that has represented Bush in Florida. Thomas' wife, Virginia, is helping the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, collect applications from people seeking employment in a Bush administration.
