Why Justice Clarence Thomas Should Run for President
Justice Clarence Thomas loves vacationing in his motor home, where he rubs elbows with “real America.” Why not hang a sign on the side that reads “Vote Clarence Thomas”?
The Republican Party could use a presidential candidate with name recognition and a story of humble beginnings, according to Above the Law bloggers Kashmir Hill and David Lat. Writing in the Washington Post, they say the presidency would be a good career change for Thomas, who has admitted the Supreme Court job isn’t very enticing, although he’s honored to have it.
“Thomas should leave his perch at 1 First Street—and head for 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.,” Lat and Hill write.
He’s got the organizational firepower in his wife, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, they assert. She has a background in political organizing and fundraising, and she has a new website, Liberty Central, to support citizen activists.
He wouldn’t be the first man to serve as both justice and president. William Howard Taft became chief justice eight years after his presidency, the article says. And he wouldn’t be the first justice to leave the court for a presidential run. Charles Evans Hughes ran as the Republican nominee in 1916, but lost the race.
If Thomas leaves the court, President Obama would have another Supreme Court vacancy to fill, Hill and Lat acknowledge. But Obama has not nominated “hard-core liberals.” And there’s an upside for the GOP: If Thomas wins, he could appoint conservative justices.
Updated June 16 to correctly indicate that Charles Evans Hughes left the Supreme Court to run for president.
