Justice Clarence Thomas calls Washington a ‘hideous place’
FAIRHOPE, Ala. ā Supreme Court JusticeĀ Clarence ThomasĀ told attendees at a judicial conference Friday that he and his wife have faced ānastinessā and āliesā over the last several years and decried Washington, D.C., as a āhideous place.ā
Thomas spoke at a conference attended by judges, attorneys and other court personnel in the 11th Circuit Judicial Conference, which hears federal cases from Alabama, Florida and Georgia. He made the comments pushing back onĀ his criticsĀ in response to a question about working in a world that seems meanspirited.
āI think thereās challenges to that. Weāre in a world and we ā certainly my wife and I the last two or three years itās been ā just the nastiness and the lies, itās just incredible,ā Thomas said.
āBut you have some choices. You donāt get to prevent people from doing horrible things or saying horrible things. But one you have to understand and accept the fact that they canāt change you unless you permit that,ā Thomas said.
Thomas hasĀ faced criticismsĀ that he took accepted luxury trips from a GOP donor without reporting them. Thomas last year maintained that heĀ didnāt have to reportĀ the trips paid for by one of āour dearest friends.ā His wife, conservative activist Ginni ThomasĀ has faced criticismĀ for using her Facebook page to amplify unsubstantiated claimsĀ of corruption by President Joe Biden, a Democrat.
He did not discuss the content of the criticisms directly, but said that ārecklessā people in Washington will ābomb your reputation.ā
āThey donāt bomb you necessarily, but they bomb your reputation or your good name or your honor. And thatās not a crime. But they can do as much harm that way,ā Thomas said.
During the appearance, Thomas was asked questions by U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, one of Thomasā former law clerks who was later appointed to the federal bench. During his hour-long appearance, the longest-serving justice on the court discussed a wide range of topics including the lessons of his grandfather, his friendship with former colleagues and his belief that court writings and discussions should be more accessible for āregular people.ā
Thomas, who spent most of his working life in Washington D.C., also discussed his dislike of it.
āI think what you are going to find and especially in Washington, people pride themselves on being awful. It is a hideous place as far as Iām concerned,ā Thomas said. Thomas said that it is one of the reasons he and his wife ālike RVing.ā
āYou get to be around regular people who donāt pride themselves in doing harmful things, merely because they have the capacity to do it or because they disagree,ā Thomas said.
A recreational vehicle used by Thomas also became aĀ source of controversy. Senate Democrats in October issued a report saying that most of the $267,000 loan obtained by Thomas to buy a high-end motorcoach appears to have been forgiven.
Thomas did not discuss the courtās high-profile caseload.
The justice said he believed it is important to use language in court rulings so that the law is accessible to the average person.
āThe regular people I think are being disenfranchised sometimes by the way that we talk about cases,ā Thomas said.
Thomas wasnāt the only justice making a speaking appearance Friday.
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh said Friday that U.S. history showsĀ court decisionsĀ unpopular in their time later can become part of the āfabric of American constitutional law.ā
Kavanaugh spoke Friday at a conference attended by judges, attorneys and other court personnel in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi and is one of the most conservative circuits.