Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Worst Supreme Court Justice Ever?

Justice Thomas shows how he deals with the Constitution - he strangles it
Today marks the five year anniversary since Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas last spoke from the bench. He hasn't made a comment, nor asked a question in five years! Of course, Thomas has no problem speaking to paid audiences of right-wingers or accepting checks from the Koch Brothers to appear at their conservative strategy sessions. Why does Justice Thomas never even ask a single question when hearing arguments on the Supreme Court?

From Five Years Later, Justice Thomas Still Silent, "For at least 40 years, there is no record of any justice completing a single term, much less five, without asking a question. Indeed, scholars have calculated that the other eight justices ask on average 133 questions per hourlong session. But Thomas remains silent."

Contrary to some, I don't think his refusal to speak is a testament to his less than stellar intellect. I imagine he is quite intelligent. Rather, it speaks to his personal biases and prejudices. He doesn't have to ask questions because he has already decided before hearing any of the facts. His written decisions often read as though he wasn't even present during oral arguments. It's as though he's spending his time on the bench thinking about the decision without even hearing both sides.

Though it's probably more likely he's wondering how his friends at the Federalist Society will tell him to vote. Thomas, is without a doubt, the worst Justice the Supreme Court has ever seen.

1 comment:

Darrell Michaels said...

How racist of you! (Oh never mind, that's right, we can criticize people of color if they are conservative.) :)