Clarence Thomas Becomes The Second Longest-serving Justice In Supreme Court History

WASHINGTON — The first babe boomer connected nan Supreme Court deed a milestone connected Thursday, becoming nan second-longest serving justness successful history astatine a clip erstwhile his power has ne'er seemed greater.

Once an outlier connected nan nation’s highest court, Justice Clarence Thomas has go a towering fig successful nan blimpish ineligible activity complete nan past decade arsenic he helped unafraid landmark rulings connected abortion, voting and Second Amendment rights.

The only justness pinch a longer tenure is wide William O. Douglas. Thomas would overtake Douglas successful 2028 if he remains connected nan tribunal — and there’s nary motion he plans to discontinue anytime soon.

“I deliberation he’s much energized and excited now than erstwhile I first met him,” said John Yoo, a rule professor astatine nan University of California, Berkeley, who served successful Republican President George W. Bush’s management aft his clip arsenic a Thomas clerk 3 decades ago.

Thomas was confirmed successful 1991 aft contentious hearings that included intersexual harassment allegations. More recently, his acceptance of luxury trips has raised a large wind of morals questions. He’s nevertheless gone from near-silence astatine oral arguments to asking nan first questions and penning a landmark ruling expanding Second Amendment rights.

Following nan assignment of 3 blimpish justices by Republican President Trump, Thomas is now nan astir elder personnel of a supermajority that’s besides overturned abortion arsenic a law right, ended affirmative action successful assemblage admissions and sharply constricted nan Voting Rights Act.

“The tribunal has radically moved successful his guidance complete nan people of his clip connected nan court,” said Stanford University rule professor Pamela Karlan. Thomas’ seniority intends he tin determine who writes an sentiment if he’s portion of a mostly that doesn’t see Chief Justice John Roberts, a facet that tin nudge different votes down closed doors, Karlan said.

Off nan bench, Thomas’ sphere of power besides includes his large, close-knit web of erstwhile clerks, who person served successful nan Trump management and are progressively filling retired nan ranks of national judges.

“That is an important bequest that he will leave,” said Sarah Konsky, head of nan Supreme Court and Appellate Clinic astatine nan University of Chicago Law School. “Even arsenic justices’ ain clip connected nan tribunal winds down, important power lives connected done their clerks.”

That’s not to opportunity Thomas’ clip connected nan tribunal is up. In a caller speech, Thomas tied nan nation’s highest ideals to a blimpish imagination of constricted authorities — and launched a broadside connected progressivism seen by critics arsenic unfair and inappropriate. In nan room astatine nan University of Texas, though, it earned a opinionated ovation.

Thomas, who became nan 2nd Black personnel of nan court, now has a tenure that tops 34 years, putting him up of Justice Stephen J. Field, who was appointed by Lincoln earlier nan extremity of nan Civil War and served arsenic nan only 10th justness until 1897.

For Thomas, 77, it’s a agelong measurement from nan hearings astatine which his information by Republican President George H.W. Bush was astir derailed by allegations that he had sexually harassed Anita Hill, a complaint he forcefully denied.

Thomas has much precocious travel nether scrutiny for lavish, undisclosed trips from a GOP megadonor and nan blimpish governmental activism of his wife, who backed mendacious claims that nan 2020 predetermination was stolen from Trump. The justness has said he wasn’t required to disclose nan trips he took pinch friends and ignored calls to recuse himself from cases related to nan election.

On nan court, though, caller years person besides brought possibly nan astir important activity of his career, particularly a 2022 sentiment he wrote that recovered group mostly person nan correct to transportation a weapon successful public. The justness did not respond to a petition for remark connected his tenure.

His ain jurisprudence has changed small complete nan years, said Scott Gerber, writer of “First Principles: The Jurisprudence of Clarence Thomas.” Even arsenic nan mostly moves his way, he’s continued to constitute dissents that get noticed.

“He’s incredibly consistent,” Gerber said. Once known for solo dissents, “now he writes mostly opinions.”

Whitehurst writes for nan Associated Press.