An Angry Justice Thomas Targets Liberal Groups

U.S. Supreme Court

An Angry Justice Thomas Targets Liberal Groups

Posted Oct 1, 2007, 08:37 am CDT
By Debra Cassens Weiss

Justice Clarence Thomas calls his sexual harassment accuser a mediocre lawyer and “my most traitorous adversary” in his new memoir, My Grandfather’s Son.

Thomas denies the harassment claims and says accuser Anita Hill, who once worked for him, was "touchy and apt to overreact" anytime someone did something to offend her, the Washington Post reports. He said she would have quickly objected if she did not like Thomas’ treatment of her rather than waiting for a decade to detail her complaints.

The conservative Thomas concludes that the abortion issue was the driving force behind Hill’s accusations, aired during his confirmation hearings, the New York Times reports. His language is most vivid when writing about the issue.

He said he had grown up in fear of Ku Klux Klan lynch mobs, but “my worst fears had come to pass not in Georgia, but in Washington, D.C., where I was being pursued not by bigots in white robes but by left-wing zealots draped in flowing sanctimony.”

The Post quotes more passages showing Thomas’ outrage over the liberal campaign against his nomination. "The mob I now faced carried no ropes or guns," Thomas said. "Its weapons were smooth-tongued lies spoken into microphones and printed on the front pages of America's newspapers. ... But it was a mob all the same, and its purpose—to keep the black man in his place—was unchanged."

Thomas also wrote that he had once thought “fleetingly thought” about suicide after his grandparents' deaths during a rocky period in his first marriage. But he pushed aside the idea because he did not want to abandon his son as he had been abandoned by his father. Thomas was raised by his grandparents.

ABC News' Jan Crawford Greenburg and 60 Minutes' Steve Kroft have both interviewed Thomas.

In the 60 Minutes interview, Thomas explained why he does not try to correct misconceptions that he is an intellectual lightweight whose insecurities are the reason he does not ask questions during oral arguments.

"My job is to write opinions. I decide cases and write opinions. It is not to respond to idiocy and critics who make statements that are unfounded," he said.

Thomas’ book goes on sale today. A hat tip to How Appealing, which posted the stories.

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Posted by Gregg Peppel - 1 year, 2 days, 19 hours, 52 minutes ago

The caption of this story is misleading and wholly irresponsible. Justice Thomas has not “targeted” any “group.” He has defended himself from unproven accusations consistently over the years, and his book continues to do so.

You could have captioned the article “Justice Thomas Criticizes Liberal Opponents.” That would have been both fair and accurate. But you, as others before you, have now painted Justice Thomas as biased against liberal groups, and in doing so you raise questions of his credibilty. That is unfair. I expect better from the ABA.
Posted by Chad Walter - 1 year, 2 days, 19 hours, 43 minutes ago

Note that when a conservative provides a point of view the conservative is “angry”. Was Anita Hill ever portrayed as “angry”?? Another misleading caption.
Posted by David Sinclair - 1 year, 2 days, 17 hours, 5 minutes ago

How could you expect better from the ABA, another liberal organization? The title to this article is, unfortunately, exactly the type of bias I have come to expect from the ABA!
Posted by SD Kuhn - 1 year, 2 days, 16 hours, 31 minutes ago

I’m very disappointed that an organization such as the ABA cannot see that is does an incredible disservice to ALL of its members when it adopts such a hard-core liberal bias. This article is simply another in a long line of examples. Remind me again what my dues are paying for?
Posted by Rhe Zinnecker - 1 year, 2 days, 15 hours, 22 minutes ago

I find it fascinating that, in his book Judge Thomas can say he was pursued, “by left-wing zealots draped in flowing sanctimony...”, yet some think that the ABA headline stating that Thomas “Targets Liberal Groups” is biased. Maybe you should read the book.
Posted by Michael Duff - 1 year, 2 days, 15 hours, 18 minutes ago

Funny - I though the title was pretty balanced. I would have titled the article, “Justice Thomas is a nut.”
Posted by Evan A. Jenness - 1 year, 2 days, 14 hours, 48 minutes ago

Thomas’ contention that liberals’ criticisms of him during the confirmation process were an attempt to “keep the black man in his place,” seems odd, coming as it does from someone whose conservative agenda on the bench serves to keep powerful private interests “in place,” to the detriment of minorities, women, the impovrished, those charged with crimes, and fundamental Constitional rights that are intended to protect many basic freedoms—including the potential for advancement by all.
Posted by Ted Vanderlaan - 1 year, 2 days, 12 hours, 48 minutes ago

I could not agree more with Gregg Peppel’s response. the headline is completelly irresponsible and smacks of partisan politics. I expect better of our ABA
Posted by J. Cunyon Gordon - 1 year, 2 days, 12 hours, 20 minutes ago

I think Justice Thomas should turn the purple prose down a notch. The KKK dragged 15 year-old Emmett Till into the woods and pummelled the boy to death. The KKK hanged black men and set their bodies afire, often before crowds dressed in Sunday clothes. Sorry, Justice, even a hundred of Senator Biden is not the KKK.
Shame on you for such self-aggrandizing.
Posted by Linda Bartlett - 1 year, 2 days, 12 hours, 12 minutes ago

I would expect that there is some factual basis to support Justice Thomas’s assertion that the liberal establishment’s agenda is “to keep the black man in his place ....” I sincerely hope that Justice Thomas provides that factual support in his book and does not fall into the category of those he describes as “idio[ts] and critics who make statements that are unfounded,...” Kudos to the ABA for a balanced review of many of the pre-pulication statements and ideas.
Posted by V. M. - 1 year, 2 days, 12 hours, 8 minutes ago

I also expect more from the ABA. As a person who is new to the legal field and also an African American female. I am shocked that the American Bar Association is such a one-side and closed minded organization. If this is what I have look forward to, a bias organization fronting as though they represent all lawyers, then I have very little faith in this profession. Let’s lose the one-side political views, it isn’t becoming and definitely not inclusive.
Posted by Brett Appelman - 1 year, 2 days, 12 hours, 3 minutes ago

Wow. Is anyone actually buying into Thomas’ comparison of the “Liberals” to the KKK. This is a Justice who continually rules AGAINST the interests of minorities, and rules FOR some of the very same things that the KKK has on it’s agenda. Thomas cannot sell out every other minority person in this country and then cry foul when those who try to help the minorities fight against him.
Posted by L.S. - 1 year, 2 days, 11 hours, 51 minutes ago

The ABA here only stated the obvious. I fail to see how J.T. can find that liberals who were attacking his obviously right wing politics (which I might add EACH side does to the other) could have instilled fear and horror that even comes CLOSE to that engendered by the KKK. I also fail to see the connection between liberals looking to make sure that individual rights continue to be protected is keeping anyone at all down. Rather the opposite seems to be true. I’m with Mr. Duff. This man has obviously lost his mind.
Posted by tate - 1 year, 2 days, 5 hours, 34 minutes ago

Justice Thomas comes off as biased and self centered in this book. There is nothing in this revelation that makes me feel that we selected the best man for the job as a supreme court justice. I agree with others here that say he has lost his mind.
Posted by skg - 1 year, 18 hours, 52 minutes ago

Regarding Justice Thomas comment about “keeping the balck man in his place:” his place at the time was a lifetime appointment to the DC circuit of the US Court of Appeals. How many of us would aspire to be kept in such a place?

And if he had not had that to go back to, is there any doubt that he could not have made a boatload of money defending employment claims after his experience on the EEOC? Also not a bad place to be kept in.
Posted by Adam - 1 year, 15 hours, 55 minutes ago

QUIT COMPLAINING ABOUT THE LIBERAL BIAS OF THE ABA.

If you don’t like it, don’t renew.

We all know that liberals are often the least tolerant segment of our society. If you disagree with them, you are an idiot, a bigot, a racist, a sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, etc. etc. etc. This is nothing new at all!

My only question is why Justice Thomas’ statements are news?

True, yes. News, no.

I must admit, however, that it is amusing to read our liberal colleagues bashing Justice Thomas in the comments. Personally, I love reading Justice Thomas’ opinions. They are generally simple and to the point. No pontificating and political garbage that you get with some of the others. That’s what an opinion should be, in my opinion.
Posted by Tara - 11 months, 4 weeks, 2 days, 3 hours, 37 minutes ago

Justice Thomas’ opinions are simple because he is not capable of nuanced, complex, and original thinking. I find it quite amazing that a Supreme Court Justice can set aside even a pretense of impartiality against his opponents while still on the bench. Many of this man’s oppinion do more to “keep the blak man in his place,” than all the efforts of his opponents combined. A person of his calibre has no place on the bench, whether black or white, male or female. What a disgrace!
Posted by Rick - 11 months, 4 weeks, 1 day, 18 hours, 35 minutes ago

Thomas has no business calling anyone bigoted. After all, he’s the one who used to waive the Dixie flag in the faces of his black coworkers. He’s nothing more than a horsebleep lawyer who got by in life because of his black self hatred.
Posted by aut - 11 months, 3 weeks, 5 days, 4 hours, 40 minutes ago

JT, you should really get out more. There are a lot of minorities who can appropriately and rightfully “play the race card.” JT, you can’t. You surround yourself with a bunch of corporate greedmongers, then pretend you are simply being criticized because you are an African-American. Shame on you and the fools who cater to your delusions.

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