Justice Clarence Thomas calls criticism of him 'nastiness' and 'lies'

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Justice Clarence Thomas calls criticism of him ‘nastiness’ and ‘lies’

Justice Thomas offered some of his most extensive comments since news broke last year of travel and real estate deals paid for by businessman Harlan Crow.

By Justin Jouvenal, Tobi Raji and Ann E. Marimow
Updated May 10, 2024 at 8:09 p.m. EDT | Published May 10, 2024 at 3:21 p.m. EDT

POINT CLEAR, ALA. — After facing harsh questions about his judicial decisions and accepting lavish gifts from a billionaire, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas forcefully pushed back on his critics Friday — saying he and his wife, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, have endured “nastiness” and “lies.”

Thomas targeted the maelstrom he has faced in Washington, offering some of his most extensive comments since news broke last year of travel and real estate deals paid for by Republican donor Harlan Crow, and since he has faced calls to recuse himself from cases related to the 2020 election because of his wife’s involvement with efforts to block Joe Biden’s victory.

“What you are going to find, especially in Washington, is that people are going to pride themselves on being awful,” Thomas said during the hour-long conversation with U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, a former clerk of his, at a judicial conference on the Gulf Coast, hundreds of miles from the nation’s capital. “It’s a hideous place.”

The justice went on to say he maintains his positivity in work and life despite the tribulations. Still, he told his audience that he wished he had remained a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and that he “had no interest in public life” but felt called to it by God. He did not address any recent decisions by the court.

{snip}

Raji reported from Austin. Marimow reported from Washington. This story will be updated on Saturday after Alito’s speech.

By Justin Jouvenal
Justin Jouvenal covers the Supreme Court. He previously covered policing and the courts locally and nationally. He joined The Post in 2009. Twitter https://twitter.com/jjouvenal

By Tobi Raji
Tobi Raji covers the federal judiciary and the Supreme Court as a part of The Washington Post's Opportunity Program. She was previously a researcher for The Early 202, a pre-dawn newsletter about the nation’s major power centers, including the White House, Congress and the Supreme Court. She joined The Post in 2021. Twitter https://twitter.com/tobiaraji

By Ann Marimow
Ann Marimow covers the Supreme Court for The Washington Post. She joined The Post in 2005, and has spent a decade writing about legal affairs and the federal judiciary. She previously covered state government and politics in California, New Hampshire and Maryland. Twitter https://twitter.com/amarimow

[Walleye]

1. He's so damn miserable, but God won't let him retire? Hate DC? move

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Begging the question(s)

1. Thomas doesn't address how his votes on The Bench were possibly/probably sold.

2. Thomas doesn't address how his wife's influence and activities have shaped his votes.

3. Thomas doesn't partition God from his judicial duties.

[marble falls]

3. Of course he did. Doesn't have a clue about "mea culpa". He certainly let us in on who he is : ...

... “What you are going to find, especially in Washington, is that people are going to pride themselves on being awful,”

"... he wished he had remained a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and that he “had no interest in public life” but felt called to it by God." - gawd told him all that loot wasn't going to collect itself, he and Ginni were going have to gather it up themselves.

[COL Mustard]

4. There's a simple solution, Mr. Justice Thomas....

Retire and move someplace else! I'm even available to help you and Ginni pack.

[MFM008]

5. They can remove our rights

But they sure can't take criticism can they.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

6. The biggest flaw in Justice Clarence Thomas' newest complaints

Justice Clarence Thomas wants the public to believe the serious accusations he’s faced are “lies.” He’s going to have to be far more specific.

Link to tweet

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/biggest-flaw-justice-clarence-thomas-newest-complaints-rcna151935

And yet, while Thomas is likely satisfied with the direction of the judiciary, he’s apparently far less happy about the ethics allegations he’s faced. The Associated Press reported:

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas told attendees at a judicial conference Friday that he and his wife have faced “nastiness” and “lies” over the last several years and decried Washington, D.C., as a “hideous place.” Thomas spoke at a conference attended by judges, attorneys and other court personnel in the 11th Circuit Judicial Conference, which hears federal cases from Alabama, Florida and Georgia.

When the far-right jurist was asked specifically about a world that seems meanspirited, Thomas replied, “I think there’s challenges to that. We’re in a world and we — certainly my wife and I the last two or three years it’s been — just the nastiness and the lies, it’s just incredible.”

A New York Times report on the justice’s remarks noted, “It amounted to some of the most extensive public remarks he has made since revelations that he failed to disclose years of lavish trips from wealthy conservatives, like the Texas real estate magnate Harlan Crow, including on private jets and a superyacht.”.....

In each instance, the far-right jurist’s luxurious benefits “have been underwritten by benefactors who share the ideology that drives his jurisprudence.” Though the precise value of the trips is difficult to measure, ProPublica described it as “likely in the millions” of dollars.

It’s an impossible dynamic to defend: Thomas has lived the life of a wealthy man, thanks to the generosity of his rich, likeminded friends.......

Because on the one hand we have a great many compelling, well-sourced, award-winning reports written and published by respected journalists. On the other hand, we have a controversial Supreme Court justice, burdened by decades of controversies, who apparently hopes the public takes his vague assertions at face value, despite his lack of credibility.

This doesn’t seem like an especially tough call.