The Life and Career of Judge Clarence Thomas

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the life and career of Clarence Thomas, U.S. Supreme Court Justice. The author looks briefly at his childhood, his education, then at his rise in the judiciary, and controversial nomination to the Court . The paper examines Justice Thomas' role as a conservative African-American and how his conservatism is shown through his decisions.

From the Paper:

"It is hard to imagine that few justices of the 20th century will remain as marked throughout their entire tenure by their confirmation process as Clarence Thomas, who was nominated by George Bush, Sr. for one of the associate justice positions on the U.S. Supreme Court in 1991. Surviving the controversy of this nomination, in which he was accused of sexual harassment as well as of being of insufficient legal acumen and gravity- many liberals believed that his primary qualifications for office were his conservatism along with the fact that he was relatively young and healthy and therefore could serve on the court for many years. Thomas succeeded to the seat of the ultraliberal Thurgood Marshall, and in doing so gave to the court a decidedly conservative cast, undoing many of the measures that Marshall had dedicated his own life to achieving."

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