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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsClarence Thomas is the worst justice on the SC
Just judging his entire record added on to the fact that hevwas nominated to replace Thurgood Marshall. If there is ever an 8 to 1 decision I'd bet my life he would be the 1.
Grins
(7,212 posts)So many options.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,014 posts)beachbumbob
(9,263 posts)Bush sr to piss off democrats in fighting a "black nominee" and why he got on the court
BannonsLiver
(16,369 posts)Goodheart
(5,321 posts)Va Lefty
(6,252 posts)Mike 03
(16,616 posts)probably forget it's a nine-justice court. I remember when it was Breaking News that he spoke during oral argument.
Although, there's Alito...
maxsolomon
(33,310 posts)The RW thinks he is the best Justice.
ProfessorGAC
(64,995 posts)For years he was the 2nd worst justice, behind Scalia. Scalia died.
Thomas wins by default!
JHB
(37,158 posts)From a Feb. 2014 thread on the subject:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10024571481#post47
...NOT because he was the most qualified jurist. He wasn't.
...NOT because he was the most qualified black jurist. He wasn't.
...NOT because he was the most qualified black conservative jurist. He wasn't.
He was the most qualified black conservative with reliable but obfuscatable views on abortion & other subjects, and was young enough that he'd stay on the court for decades.
The Democratic senators were initially ready to give him a pass, since 1) they didn't look forward to another SC nomination battle, and 2) initially the black community was receptive to Thomas -- not enthusiastic, but not inclined to oppose -- and a fight against him wouldn't be well received.
At the time I thought Thomas should have been voted down just because of his lackluster record and his ignoring conflicts of interest (Thomas failed to recuse himself in a case involving the Ralston Purina company, where his political mentor Sen. John Danforth owned millions in stock and had brothers on the board of directors. Thomas' decision in favor of Purina directly benefited his pals).
Black opinion didn't shift until later in the process, after Thurgood Marshall made his "a black snake is still a snake" comment. The senators were finally forced to take a harder line when the harassment charges leaked out, and giving Thomas a pass would piss off another Democratic constituency: women fighting workplace harassment.
But all that happened too late: by that point conservatives were ginned up in support and the rest of the establishment didn't want another high-profile fight, so the Thomas hearings were kept to a he-said-she-said with Anita Hill, giving the senators their excuse to just put it behind them.
So here we are, a quarter-century later, and he's still a lackluster jurist who ignores conflicts of interest, and is a reliable conservative operative in the courts.
Wellstone ruled
(34,661 posts)Yes a snake is still a snake. Danforth is still a crook. Nothing changed.
Zorro
(15,740 posts)Stallion
(6,474 posts)...since is living in the 19th Century
ProudMNDemocrat
(16,783 posts)If it not had been for that Section, Clarence Thomas wou,d not even be on the Court.
He is totally useless.
madashelltoo
(1,696 posts)His crazy as hell wife would rip his head off and piss down his neck if he ruled against the racist criminal in the White House!