Clarence Thomas: The Second African American Justice on the Supreme Court
Early Life and Education
Clarence Thomas was born in Pin Point, Georgia, on June 23, 1948. He grew up in Savannah, Georgia, and attended the all-black Saint Benedict the Moor School. He graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts in 1971 and earned a law degree from Yale Law School in 1974.
Legal Career
After graduating from Yale, Thomas clerked for Judge Clement F. Haynsworth, Jr., of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. He then worked as an attorney in the Office of the Solicitor General of the United States. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan appointed Thomas to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He served on the court for 10 years before being nominated to the Supreme Court by President George H. W. Bush in 1991.
Supreme Court Justice
Thomas was confirmed by the Senate in 1991 and has served on the Court ever since. He is known as a conservative justice and is often considered to be one of the most influential members of the Court. Thomas has written numerous majority opinions and dissents, and he has played a key role in shaping the Court's jurisprudence on issues such as affirmative action, abortion, and criminal justice.
Controversies
In 1991, Thomas was accused of sexual harassment by Anita Hill, a former employee of his. The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on the allegations, and Thomas was eventually confirmed by a narrow margin. The Hill-Thomas hearings were highly controversial, and they helped to shape the public discourse on sexual harassment.
Thomas has also been criticized for his conservative views on social issues. He has been a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage and has argued that the Constitution does not protect the right to abortion. Thomas's views have made him a polarizing figure, but he remains one of the most influential members of the Supreme Court.
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