Why Clarence Thomas’ explanations fail laugh test

During his muchtoo-long tenure on the Supreme Court, Justice Clarence Thomas has been totally, tragically wrong about almost everything. But for a long time, I tried to convince myself he was at least sincere in his deplorable ideology. Silly me.

I was never sympathetic. I believed Anita Hill, who testified at Thomas’ confirmation hearing in 1991 that he had sexually harassed her when she worked for him at two government agencies. And for Thomas, a far-right Republican apparatchik, to take the seat on the nation’s highest court vacated by the death of Thurgood Marshall, an icon of the civil rights movement, was always an abomination.

But I did understand how a Black man born in Pin Point, Ga., in 1948 might have a great big chip on his shoulder. I understood how growing up under the jackboot of Jim Crow might lead him to the philosophy of Black self-sufficiency articulated by Malcolm X, which Thomas espoused in his youth. And I almost — but not quite — understood how a deep distrust of government, perhaps along with some personal issues involving self-image and self-worth, might have produced his tear-it-alldown judicial nihilism.

It was hard for me to believe Thomas could be as much of a puppet of the most reactionary forces in American society as he seemed. But now, there is overwhelming evidence that’s exactly what he is.

Thanks to reporting this month by ProPublica, we now know Thomas and his wife, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, a hard-right Republican activist, have been treated to lavish vacations worth hundreds of thousands of dollars by Harlan Crow, a politically active Texas billionaire. These jaunts included a vacation in Indonesia in 2019 that involved flights on Crow’s private jet and an island-hopping tour on a superyacht — a nine-day trip that alone would have cost the couple more than $500,000.

There were also other trips on Crow’s jet and frequent stays at properties he owns in the Adirondacks and in East Texas, according to ProPublica. Accompanying the Thomases as guests, at times, were conservative business executives and thought leaders.

And for some reason, Thomas failed to report any of these gifts on the disclosure forms he is required to submit annually.

Nor did Thomas disclose the fact Crow purchased the Georgia house the justice’s mother lives in, then made tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of improvements to the dwelling, ProPublica subsequently revealed.

Regarding the trips he took at Crow’s expense, Thomas issued a statement claiming that early in his time on the Supreme Court, he “was advised that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends, who did not have business before the Court, was not reportable.”

A little context: In 1969, Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas resigned after it was learned he had accepted, then returned, $20,000 from a Wall Street financier. At the time, Chief Justice Earl Warren felt it was important Fortas step down to preserve the court’s reputation.

Thomas doesn’t believe in affirmative action or protecting voting rights, though he benefited from both. He does believe in living the good life among millionaires and billionaires whose interests he just happens to protect in his opinions. the boy was police communities, yet no charges were filed against Stillman. Since then, Chicago has been able to turn a corner on violent crime, thanks partly to investments in after-school youth programs. Murders are down by 20% from two years ago.

That’s one version of events, the version favored by the progressive left.

Another version goes

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution brings you some of the best Opinion columns both left and right, offering viewpoints on policies, politics and news events. We believe it’s important to offer views from both liberal and conservative perspectives. But instead of publishing our regular lineup of national columnists Tuesday through Friday, we’ve decided to devote that space to pieces that move important conversations forward.

The national columnists will remain in Sunday’s paper. superintendent, Eric