Clarence Thomas’ appointment to the high court and his aligning with the other ultra-conservative justices in cannibalizing civil rights issues gave validity to negative charges alleged at the senate confirmation hearings. It appeared that his confirmation was designed to make it easier for one black justice to negate the progressive record and positive memory of another black, Thurgood Marshall.Â
Thomas’ support of cruel, unsympathetic decisions, written in mean-spirited fashion, vividly contrasted with the intelligent prose used by Justice Marshall to shatter misguided, ill-found interpretations of the Constitution. Thomas sided with the court faction that imposed racial, religious and sexual constraints restricting group and individual opportunities.Â
Several months after donning the prestigious black robe of a high court member, fears expressed at Senate hearings of the damage that Thomas’ presence on the court would do to the fabric of society materialized in short order. Without Justice Sandra Day O’Connor there as a restraining force to the excesses of her fellow conservatives, prior court rulings guaranteeing rights for women, minorities and the poor – those traditionally deprived, depressed and denied – were repealed, revised or severely curtailed. The newly emboldened reactionary majority went on a rampage to reverse and destroy 40 years of unprecedented, progressive decisions in the field of minority advancement.
Bill Clay
Silver Springs, Maryland
