The other week, Justice Clarence Thomas turned 74 and received a present from himself. He wrote the majority opinion in a case involving gun rights that will have an impact on the entire country.
The Most Conservative American
It was the climax of a historic, but fractured term that saw a 6-3 conservative majority win on a plethora of contentious subjects and gain momentum for a sharp rightward shift that is still going strong.
Thomas led the court this year as the former analyst justice and de facto leader of the conservative wing:
– Overturning Roe v. Wade and the legal right to abortion worldwide, leaving the decision to the states
– Facilitating law-abiding persons’ concealment of firearms in public locations
– Restricting the ability of the Biden government to enact a range of executive initiatives, from federal workplace mask requirements linked to COVID to climate change restrictions.
– Favoring open praying on a high school sports field and parents who want to use public money help to send their kids to religious schools.
“She is the queen of grievances” @dbongino slams Hillary Clinton for calling Justice Thomas “a person of grievance” pic.twitter.com/IaSESomIfo
— Unfiltered with Dan Bongino (@UnfilteredOnFox) July 3, 2022
Mark Paoletta, a close personal friend and coauthor of the forthcoming book “Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words,” said “on all these topics, it’s all matching with where Thomas has been over the past 30 years.”
Thomas surfaced as the unreconstructed super-majority on the Supreme Court’s quiet voice.
This has been amplified by Chief Justice John Roberts’ adoption of a more measured, institutional theory stance on specific, contentious issues like abortion and economic migration.
This super-majority has really come into its own this term with a number of conservative successes.
So, there will be more chances the following term when the court hears appeals on issues like federal election conflicts, religious freedom for company owners, and positive discrimination in university admissions.
Justice Clarence Thomas is an American hero — and an American original. https://t.co/52PCYB4P7V pic.twitter.com/mBFEAnkIaf
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) June 27, 2022
Liberal Outrage
Thomas may be a low-key justice, but the left has taken notice of his hard-earned influence. Liberal indignation was sparked by his vote in the abortion judgment, particularly given his concurring view.
In future cases, he wrote, “we should reanalyze all of this court’s substantive due process rulings, including Lawrence, Obergefell, and Griswold.”
This was alluding to earlier decisions on access to contraception and same-sex marriage, as well as the underlying rights to privacy, due process, and equal protection.
Progressive leaders raised the alarm, despite the fact no other justice on the Supreme Court agreed with Thomas’ broad conclusions.
Some Democrats took Thomas’ legal reasoning a step farther by personalizing it brutally.
Hillary Clinton, who attended Yale Law School with Justices Samuel Alito and Thomas, as well as her husband, labeled Thomas this week “a person of loathing, resentment, and outrage.”
Finally, Clinton claimed “women are going to die” as a result of the abortion verdict Thomas upheld.
