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22 Feb 2011 14:24

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Politics: Supreme Court Justice’s impressive streak of questionlessness

  • 5 years since Clarence Thomas’ last question of an arguing attorney source
  • » The question is, why? Thomas has offered some indication, saying that he feels the process is overdone and that the other justices ask any questions he might have, but it seems improbable at best that he legitimately hasn’t had a question worth asking in five years. It’s true, though, that this may have no real impact on how the Court conducts business, but it does beg the question: should inquisitiveness be held up as more of a virtue than it is in this day and age? Or do you prefer the strong, silent type?

04 Feb 2011 20:44

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Politics: Virginia Thomas: From judge’s wife to activist to lobbyist

Yes, Virginia, she is a lobbyist. The wife of Clarence Thomas, who recently left a gig as leader of a Tea Party-leaning group, is now wining and dining GOP legislators. source

25 Jan 2011 15:01

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U.S.: Three Supreme Court justices likely to skip State Of The Union

  • 6Supreme Court justices likely to attend the State Of The Union source
  • » Three justices are fine, thanks: Reports from Washington suggest that the Supreme Court may be three members down during President Obama’s address tonight. Though a court spokeswoman would not verify which justices would be attending, it’s expected that Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia, and Clarence Thomas will skip the address. This seems particularly relevant to Alito, who irritatedly mouthed “not true” during last year’s address, after the President’s criticism of the court’s “Citizen’s United” ruling.

22 Oct 2010 13:59

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Politics: Clarence Thomas’ ex-girlfriend: Anita Hill was telling the truth

  • He was always actively watching the women he worked with to see if they could be potential partners. It was a hobby of his.
  • Clarence Thomas’ former girlfriend, Lillian McEwen • Suggesting that the Supreme Court justice perjured himself on the stand during his contentious 1991 Senate hearing. McEwen stayed quiet throughout her career, because she was afraid that coming forward would hurt her professionally. But now she’s retired. And now she has a memoir she’s shopping to publishers about her successful career and her relationship with Thomas. She stayed mum about her relationship with Thomas, but the whole thing about Thomas’ wife Virginia cold-calling Anita Hill convinced her to speak out. Among the highlights was an admission that “he was obsessed with porn.” Why is all this crazy Clarence Thomas stuff coming out 19 years after he became a justice? source

19 Oct 2010 21:26

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U.S.: Clarence Thomas’ crazy wife randomly calls Anita Hill

  • 1991 During Clarence Thomas’ Supreme Court Senate nomination hearing, Anita Bryant testifies that Thomas sexually harassed her. Thomas denies the claims.
  • 2007 Thomas releases his autobiography. During a related interview, his wife Virginia says this: “I hope she once day calls up and apologizes and I look forward to forgiving her.”
  • 2010 Hill, now a professor at Brandeis University, receives a message from Virginia fishing for an apology. Hill, ticked off at the tone, doesn’t have one to offer. source

09 Oct 2010 11:47

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Politics: Three reasons Clarence Thomas’ wife is bad for Clarence Thomas

  • one Virginia Thomas works at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank that suggested appointees for Bush while the 2000 election was contested.
  • two She’s already a well-known figure among conservative activists, and now heads a new Tea-Partyish, anti-Obama nonprofit called Liberty Central.
  • three There’s no word on where the sizable funding for the organization, which she hopes “will be bigger than the Tea Party movement,” has come from. source
  • » What this means for Clarence Thomas: He may have to recuse himself from a number of politically-oriented cases because of his wife’s extracurricular activities, which, as a private citizen, she’s totally allowed to do. If Liberty Central were to take off, it could be a glaring conflict of interest for the court’s most conservative judge.