American lawyer Clarence Thomas has been a justice of the Supreme Court since 1991. He was the second African American to hold the position after Thurgood Marshall when George H. W. Bush nominated him to take his place. Since Anthony Kennedy’s retirement in 2018, Thomas has served on the Supreme Court for the longest, and he is also the court’s oldest justice since Stephen Breyer’s retirement in 2022.

Clarence Thomas was raised by his grandfather in a struggling Gullah neighborhood close to Savannah after his father abandoned the family. Thomas was born in Pin Point, Georgia. Despite having been raised a devoted Catholic, Thomas grew dissatisfied with the Church’s paltry attempts to combat racism. Prior to attending the College of the Holy Cross and Yale Law School, where he was influenced by conservative writers like Thomas Sowell, he had initially intended to become a priest.

He worked as an assistant attorney general in Missouri after earning his law degree before opening his own practice there. Later, in 1979, he started working for U.S. Senator John Danforth as a legislative assistant. In 1981, he started working for the U.S. Department of Education as the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. The following year, he was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to lead the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Clarence Thomas served on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for 19 months before being selected for the Supreme Court by President George H. W. Bush in 1990. Anita Hill accused Thomas of sexual harassment while they were coworkers at the Department of Education and the EEOC, which led to a contentious confirmation hearing. 

The allegations were refuted by Clarence Thomas, and those who supported him claimed that they were made up to stop the appointment of a black conservative to the Supreme Court. Despite the debate, Thomas was approved by a mere 52-48 margin.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has been a steadfast originalist, basing his interpretations on the Constitution’s original intent. Compared to his predecessor Antonin Scalia, he has pursued a more classically liberal variety of originalism. Despite his reputation for remaining silent during oral arguments until 2020, Thomas has recently started asking counsel more questions. Thomas, who is regarded as the Court’s most conservative member, has authored majority opinions in cases like New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen and Good News Club v. Milford Central School. In cases like Gonzales v. Raich, where he argued that Congress could not make the private cultivation of medical marijuana illegal, he also dissented.

Clarence Thomas’ experiences growing up in a low-income, predominately black community and his conservative beliefs have influenced his life and career. Despite facing opposition during his confirmation hearings, he has emerged as one of the Supreme Court’s most significant figures, respected for his dedication to originalism and his conservative stance on matters like gun rights and religious freedom.

Clarence Thomas children

Jamal Adeen Thomas is the only child of Clarence Thomas. Thomas and his first wife, Kathy Ambush, welcomed Jamal into the world. He studied at the Virginia Military Institute and graduated with a degree in business and economics.

Although Jamal has largely avoided the spotlight, he has occasionally defended his father when he has faced criticism. He claimed that his father had been the target of “hateful attacks” by the left and the media in an opinion piece he wrote for The Washington Post in 2019. He defended his father’s legacy and character.

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