Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomasis an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Thomas succeeded Thurgood Marshall and is the second African American to serve on the court...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionSupreme Court Justice
Date of Birth23 June 1948
CityPin Point, GA
CountryUnited States of America
cases critics job people respond statements
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. That doesn't mean that people shouldn't have constructive criticisms, but it should be constructive.
american-judge economics free prevent society somebody
When you prevent somebody from participating in our free society and the economics of our free society, I have some real problems.
cannot certainly decision legal necessary performing texas
Without performing legal acrobatics, I cannot make the instruction confusing. And I certainly cannot do the contortions necessary to find the Texas appellate court's decision 'objectively unreasonable.
deeply dignity friend good man miss strength
We will miss him deeply as a friend and as a colleague. He was a good man who epitomized fairness, dignity and strength of character.
gone ninth taught victims
When I went into the seminary, I was one of those victims of New Math and had not had Algebra I and had no idea what we were doing in New Math in the ninth grade. But when I went into the seminary, they had gone the traditional route and taught first-year algebra.
people
There are so many people who have this idea of who I am because I'm black.
affected people self-esteem
I hear people say it affected your self-esteem to be segregated. It never affected mine.
cease people
It would seem that some black people want to say that when you, as a black, become successful, you cease to be black. That's ridiculous.
decided sometime work
My grandfather, as I said, was industrious. He'd had a variety of jobs and decided sometime in the 1940s that he would never work for anyone. He was also a very independent man.
black blacks disagree leaders point prevailing special treatment view
I disagree with the prevailing point of view of some black leaders that special treatment for blacks is acceptable.
suddenly
My grandparents had died in 1983, and suddenly my brother is out jogging before Mass, and he dies.
almost given tv
I've probably given more speeches, been on TV more than any other member of the Court - or almost any other member of the Court.
catholic minority
I was Catholic. You talk about a minority within a minority within a minority: a black Catholic in Savannah, GA.
based box certain judgments people supposed
It's fascinating that people, there's so many people now who will make judgments based on what you look like. I'm black. So I'm supposed to think a certain way. I'm supposed to have certain opinions. I don't do that. You don't create a box and put people in and then make a lot of generalizations about them.