U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has spoken out about the criticism that has targeted him in recent years, saying that it’s now encompassing his family and friends.
During an event at a judicial conference in Alabama on May 10, the current longest-serving justice did not address specific comments or claims made about him, his wife, or friends.
“My wife and I, the last two or three years” have endured “the nastiness and the lies,” Justice Thomas said late last week, according to media reports.
“There’s certainly been a lot of negativity in our lives, my wife and I, over the last few years, but we choose not to focus on it.”
There have been reports since last year, namely from the left-wing outlet ProPublica, that he went on a trip with billionaire real estate magnate Harlan Crow. Both have issued public statements denying anything improper occurred, while Justice Thomas has not ruled on any case involving Mr. Crow.
Mr. Crow told ProPublica that trips for Justice Thomas are “no different from the hospitality we have extended to our many other dear friends.” The two never discussed any pending cases, he also said.
He has also faced Democrat-led calls to recuse himself from multiple cases connected to the 2020 presidential election, with some Democrat lawmakers alleging that his wife, Ginni Thomas, was involved in conservative efforts to allegedly overturn that election. Ginni Thomas has said she attended former President Donald Trump’s rally on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington before the Capitol breach.
There were calls for Justice Thomas to recuse himself from a case in which President Trump claimed immunity from prosecution regarding his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
He was also called to recuse himself from a separate case that appealed the Colorado Supreme Court’s December ruling, which blocked President Trump from appearing on the state’s ballot.
The justice did not recuse himself and was present during arguments in both cases. During arguments on the immunity case last month, he asked a Trump lawyer what constitutes “official acts” during a presidency.
Outside of his family, Justice Thomas spoke about several topics and was interviewed by U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle. At one point, he was critical of Washington itself.
“Especially in Washington, people pride themselves in being awful,” he said, without elaborating, according to the reports. “It’s a hideous place, as far as I’m concerned. Because the rest of the country, it’s one of the reasons we like RV-ing, you get to be around regular people who don’t pride themselves in doing harmful things, merely because they have the capacity to do it or because they disagree.”
He did not discuss the content of the criticisms of the capital city directly, but stated that “reckless” people in Washington will “bomb your reputation.”
“They don’t bomb you necessarily, but they bomb your reputation or your good name or your honor. And that’s not a crime. But they can do as much harm that way,” Justice Thomas said.
Justice Thomas added that a person doesn’t “get to prevent people from doing horrible things or saying horrible things,” according to reports. “But one, you have to understand and accept the fact that they don’t, they can’t change you unless you permit that.”
The justice also said that he believed it is important to use language in court rulings so that the law is accessible to the average person. “The regular people I think are being disenfranchised sometimes by the way that we talk about cases,” Justice Thomas said.
Thomas wasn’t the only justice making a speaking appearance Friday.
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh said on Friday that U.S. history shows court decisions that were unpopular in their time can later become part of the “fabric of American constitutional law.”
Justice Kavanaugh spoke on Friday at a conference attended by judges, attorneys, and other court personnel in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which covers Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi and is one of the most conservative circuits.
