Clarence Thomas - Supreme Justice
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas is an American judge and jurist who currently serves as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. He was born on June 23, 1948 in Pin Point, Georgia, and grew up in Savannah, Georgia.
Thomas attended Holy Cross College and Yale Law School, and he worked as an attorney in Missouri and for the Reagan administration before being appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1990. In 1991, he was nominated by President George H.W. Bush to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by Thurgood Marshall's retirement, and after a contentious confirmation hearing, he was confirmed by the Senate and took his seat on the Court on October 23, 1991.
Thomas is considered a conservative justice and has often taken positions that are at odds with liberal legal views. He is known for his originalist and textualist approach to constitutional interpretation, which emphasizes the meaning of the text as it was understood at the time of its adoption. He has also been a proponent of limited government, individual rights, and free market principles.
Thomas has authored numerous notable opinions during his time on the Supreme Court, including opinions on affirmative action, abortion, and campaign finance reform. He is also known for his relatively infrequent participation in oral arguments, with many speculating that this is due to his belief in the importance of the written record over oral argument.
Thomas is married to Virginia Lamp Thomas, and the couple has no children.
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Prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court, Thomas served as the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, and later as the Chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Thomas's confirmation to the Supreme Court was controversial, in large part because of accusations of sexual harassment made by Anita Hill, who had worked for Thomas at the Department of Education and the EEOC. Thomas denied the allegations and was ultimately confirmed by a vote of 52-48.
Thomas has been described as the most conservative member of the Supreme Court. He has been a consistent vote in favor of conservative positions on issues such as abortion, gun rights, and campaign finance reform.
Thomas is a proponent of the idea of natural law, which holds that there are inherent moral principles that can be discovered through reason and that should form the basis of the law. He has also written extensively about the importance of individual liberty and the dangers of government power.
Thomas has been a critic of the Supreme Court's use of the "substantive due process" doctrine, which has been used to protect certain rights not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, such as the right to privacy. He argues that this doctrine is not grounded in the original meaning of the Constitution and has been used to expand the power of the federal government.
Despite his conservative views, Thomas has sometimes sided with liberal justices on certain issues. For example, he has expressed skepticism about the constitutionality of civil asset forfeiture, and he joined with liberal justices to strike down a Texas law that placed strict regulations on abortion providers.
Thomas has been a strong defender of free speech, and has written several opinions in favor of broad First Amendment protections. He has also been a critic of the Court's decision in New York Times v. Sullivan, which established the current standard for defamation lawsuits brought by public officials.
In recent years, Thomas has become more vocal in his criticism of the Court's precedents, particularly in the areas of administrative law and the First Amendment. He has argued that the Court should be more willing to overrule its past decisions when they are inconsistent with the original meaning of the Constitution.
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Thomas is the second African-American to serve on the Supreme Court, after Thurgood Marshall, whom he succeeded.
Thomas has been married to Virginia Lamp Thomas, a conservative activist and lobbyist, since 1987. The couple met while Thomas was working for the Reagan administration and Lamp was working as a legislative aide.
Thomas is known for his reclusive personality and reluctance to speak during oral arguments. He has often gone years without asking a single question during oral argument. Thomas has explained that he believes the written briefs and legal analysis are more important than oral argument in deciding cases.
Thomas has been the subject of several biographies, including "Supreme Discomfort: The Divided Soul of Clarence Thomas" by Kevin Merida and Michael A. Fletcher, and "The Enigma of Clarence Thomas" by Corey Robin.
Thomas has been a prolific author of opinions during his time on the Supreme Court. He has authored over 450 opinions, including 33 majority opinions, 112 concurrences, and 313 dissents.
Thomas has been a vocal critic of the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade, which established a constitutional right to abortion. He has called the decision "grievously wrong" and has argued that it has no basis in the text, history, or tradition of the Constitution.
In addition to his judicial work, Thomas has been involved in several philanthropic and educational organizations. He has served on the board of directors of the Horatio Alger Association, a nonprofit that provides scholarships and mentorship to low-income students, and he has been a frequent speaker at events for the Federalist Society, a conservative legal organization.
Thomas has been the subject of controversy in recent years for his conservative views on race and affirmative action. He has argued that affirmative action programs are discriminatory and that they undermine the principle of individual merit. In 2020, he wrote a concurring opinion in a case involving Harvard University's affirmative action policies, in which he suggested that the Court should consider overturning its past decisions upholding affirmative action.
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Thomas is a devout Catholic and has written extensively about the role of faith in his life and legal philosophy. He has argued that the natural law principles that inform his legal views are rooted in his religious beliefs.
Thomas has been a critic of the Court's deference to administrative agencies, arguing that it allows agencies to exercise unchecked power and undermines the separation of powers. He has suggested that the Court should reconsider its longstanding deference doctrine in order to limit the power of the administrative state.
Thomas is a fan of classic literature, particularly the works of Shakespeare, and has incorporated references to literature into his opinions. For example, in a dissenting opinion in a case involving a federal law banning the sale of violent video games to minors, he cited passages from Lord of the Flies and described the law as a "blunt instrument" that would do little to address the problem of youth violence.
In recent years, Thomas has been an advocate for criminal justice reform. He has argued that the criminal justice system has become too punitive and that it has disproportionately affected communities of color. He has called for reforms to sentencing laws and for more attention to be paid to the root causes of crime.
Thomas has been the subject of controversy for his views on sexual harassment and gender discrimination. In a 1991 memo to Senate staffers, he argued that sexual harassment laws were unconstitutional and that they violated the principle of individual liberty. He has also been criticized for his views on affirmative action and for his membership in the conservative organization The Federalist Society.
Thomas has been a frequent speaker at conservative events and has been praised by many on the right for his originalist approach to constitutional interpretation. However, he has also been criticized by some conservatives for his reluctance to overturn precedent and for his tendency to defer to government power in certain cases.
In 2020, Thomas celebrated his 30th anniversary on the Supreme Court, making him one of the longest-serving justices in U.S. history. Despite his controversial views, he remains a respected figure in the legal community and has been praised for his commitment to the rule of law and the Constitution.
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Thomas grew up in poverty in rural Georgia, where he was raised by his grandparents after his parents divorced. He attended segregated schools and was one of only a few black students at his high school.
Thomas was a student activist during his time at Holy Cross College, where he led protests against racial discrimination and the Vietnam War. He later became disillusioned with the student protest movement and became a conservative.
Thomas worked as a lawyer and government official before his appointment to the Supreme Court. He served as the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the Reagan administration and later as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Thomas has been a strong advocate for the Second Amendment and has authored several opinions in cases involving gun rights. He has argued that the right to bear arms is a fundamental right protected by the Constitution and that it should be given strong protection by the courts.
Thomas has been a critic of the Court's use of stare decisis, the principle that the Court should follow its prior decisions unless there is a compelling reason to overrule them. He has argued that stare decisis can lead to the perpetuation of bad precedent and that the Court should be willing to reconsider past decisions in order to correct errors.
Thomas has been a vocal opponent of affirmative action programs, which he argues are a form of discrimination against white students and applicants. He has suggested that the Court should reconsider its past decisions upholding affirmative action and should give greater weight to the principle of individual merit in admissions decisions.
Thomas has been a supporter of states' rights and has been critical of the Court's expansion of federal power. He has argued that the Constitution reserves certain powers to the states and that the federal government should not be able to intrude on those powers without a compelling reason.
Thomas is one of the most conservative members of the Supreme Court and has been a reliable vote for conservative causes during his time on the bench. He has been praised by many on the right for his originalist approach to constitutional interpretation and his commitment to conservative values.
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