Associate Justice William O. Douglas

Clarence Thomas Soon To Be Second Longest Serving Supreme Court Justice In American History!

In October 1991, Clarence Thomas became the second African American Supreme Court Justice in American history, appointed by President George H W Bush, replacing the retired Thurgood Marshall, appointed to the Court in 1967 by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Thomas had a highly contentious Supreme Court nomination battle, as he was accused of sexual harassment in the workplace by Anita Hill, a turning point which led to Thomas’s embitterment, and his life’s commitment to use his anger and fury in every way possible to undermine constitutional law, with his quest to promote “textualism” and “originalism”.

Thomas has been on the Court now for more than 34 years, and on Wednesday October 25, he will surpass the most famous and influential Justice in American history, Chief Justice John Marshall (1801-1835) in longevity, and be fourth all time in service.

And in early May, he will surpass Justice John Paul Stevens (1975-2010) and Justice Stephen J. Field (1863-1897) in longevity, and rank second all time in service, only behind Justice William O. Douglas (1939-1975).

If Thomas stays on the Court for two more years, he will be the top of the list of longevity in late May, 2028.

His impact on constitutional law has been massive, seen as mostly negative by a majority of constitutional and legal scholars, and many of his law clerks have ended up appointed by Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump to Federal District Court and Federal Circuit Court lifetime appointments.

In many ways, Thomas’s appointment by George H. W. Bush may have had the longest and greatest impact of any action taken by the 41st President!

The Massive Corruption Of Clarence Thomas

It is shocking how corrupt and greedy Associate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is, and has been in the past third of a century since his hearings for the Supreme Court in 1991 revealed sexual harassment of Anita Hill.

Selected to replace the only earlier African American Justice, Thurgood Marshall, by President George H. W. Bush, his appointment and career stand out as possibly the biggest blunder made by the 41st President.

Thomas has gained at least $4 million in “benefits” from conservative activists, most notably Harlan Crow and Leonard Leo, and has led the attack on the great advancements of the Chief Justice Earl Warren Court (1953-1969).

By all standards of behavior, Thomas should resign from the Court, and should be impeached, but of course, neither will happen, and his horrendous tenure on the Court as it moves far to the Right, undermines all respect for the Court as an institution.

Thomas, sadly, is on the path to the possibility of serving longer on the Court than anyone, if he stays a member for the next three years. If he does, he will surpass the 36 years of Associate Justice William O. Douglas (1939-1975). At this time, already, Thomas is the 10th longest serving member of the Court in its history.

Thomas’s impact on constitutional law is also the fact that many of his law clerks are now federal district court judges, so his right wing views will carry on beyond his own time on the Court.

And sadly, his wife, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, was involved in promotion of the January 6 2021 US Capitol Insurrection, as indicated by research into the behind the scenes events of that tragic day.