Supreme Justice Clarence Thomas has recently come under fire for using the term "the Black Race" to refer to any black person he admires. Despite overcoming incredible odds, including being born into poverty in 1948, becoming a lawyer, and rising to become the second black man nominated for the United States Supreme Court, his controversial viewpoints have often put him at odds with many progressives.
Back during his ascent to the high court, Anita Hill—a black woman and former employee—accused him of sexual harassment. This accusation nearly derailed his nomination but ultimately failed to keep him from securing a seat on the bench. Throughout his tenure as justice, Clarence Thomas has authored legal opinions that directly controvert the existence of millions of marginalized human beings.
Thomas's conservative stance also made him an antithetical force during Obama's presidency. Despite being one of the earliest beneficiaries of affirmative action and partaking in interracial coupling himself, he remains steadfast in holding ultraconservative views alongside fellow justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh—all three original thinkers who strictly interpret the Constitution.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) has accused Democrats of harboring hatred toward Justice Thomas because he is a Black man. In response to recent reports by ProPublica revealing that numerous trips taken by Thomas and his wife Virginia "Ginni" Thomas were paid for by Republican mega-donor Harlan Crow without disclosure to the Court, Cruz stated that Democrats view Thomas as a traitor due simply to his race. He argued they are not scrutinizing other judges with such intensity or accusing liberal justices who received gifts themselves (although none faced ethics violations).
However, Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) called for Justice Clarence Thomas's resignation from the Supreme Court after deeming his reputation "unsalvageable." According to Markey: “He cannot judge right from wrong, and he needs to resign.”
The controversy surrounding Justice Thomas arrives amid a time of dwindling trust in the judicial branch. A Gallup poll conducted last September found that only 47 percent of U.S. adults agreed they had "a great deal" or "a fair amount" of trust in courts, marking a historic low for faith in the nation's judiciary.
As debates continue surrounding Supreme Justice Clarence Thomas's ethics, impartiality, and suitability for his position on the highest court in the land, it remains to be seen how this will impact public opinion and future decisions made by the United States Supreme Court.