Clarence Thomas lied his way onto the Supreme Court playing the victim of one of the women he harassed sexually. Several nauseating moments became forever etched into the culture as a result. He liked to talk about perverted sexual acts with the women who worked for him, ironically, at the EEOC. He discussed the size of his penis, pubic hairs on a coke can (presumably that was a sexy thing for him,) threesomes and his sexual prowess.
As an associate justice, he has been more wallpaper than brilliant jurist, but he has done everything the right wing asked of him. Even though he benefited greatly from Affirmative Action, he was been opposed to any law which would benefit his fellow Afro-Americans. He occupies the furthest right-wing territory of the court, agreeing with his virtual twin, the recently-deceased Antonin Scalia, on virtually every decision. He has refused to speak at oral argument for many years, appearing to sulk or sometimes sleep.
The nation was anything but asleep during his confirmation hearing. The spectacle of his nomination took over the nation over a long weekend in 1991. Anita Hill, a law professor from Oklahoma, was asked by investigators if there would be any reason why Thomas should not be considered qualified for the job of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. She reluctantly told the investigator of various episodes of sexual harassment, of inappropriate workplace comments and his obsession with pornographic material.
Other women reported the same kind of comments from Thomas, and the video store had records of Thomas' rental history which corroborated the claim that he was an avid consumer of X-rated videos. Also, friends of Anita Hill remembered her complaints about Thomas' behavior. That information was kept from the committee and the public.
At that time, there were many qualified candidates who did not carry such disgusting baggage, but President Bush wanted to force Thomas onto the court. A smear campaign began at the highest levels of government intended to discredit Ms. Hill. The campaign was effective enough so that the American public called it a draw, and in the end, Thomas squeaked by with 52 votes in favor of his confirmation. In the intervening years, the slime that got Thomas his government position has remained with him and taints the highest court. In recent years, his wife's political activities and her conservative causes suggest that Thomas should have recused himself in a number of important cases where his family obtained economic benefits. For example, during the confirmation process, Citizens United contributed to him, and yet, he voted on the recent decision involving that organization. His inability to understand what amounts to a conflict of interest would seem to disqualify him to sit on the highest court.
His wife's political activities have raised vast sums which have benefited the Thomas family. Thomas did not report any of that income for several years, even though it was mandatory. When caught, Thomas excused himself by saying he didn't understand the reporting form. Not smart enough to obey the law should not be an excuse for an associate justice.
Senator Joe Biden embarrassed himself when he ran the hearing which would decide who was telling the truth, but the most despicable conduct belonged to Sen. Orin Hatch of Utah and Sen. John Danforth.
This movie does a good job of covering an ugly moment in Supreme Court history.
As an associate justice, he has been more wallpaper than brilliant jurist, but he has done everything the right wing asked of him. Even though he benefited greatly from Affirmative Action, he was been opposed to any law which would benefit his fellow Afro-Americans. He occupies the furthest right-wing territory of the court, agreeing with his virtual twin, the recently-deceased Antonin Scalia, on virtually every decision. He has refused to speak at oral argument for many years, appearing to sulk or sometimes sleep.
The nation was anything but asleep during his confirmation hearing. The spectacle of his nomination took over the nation over a long weekend in 1991. Anita Hill, a law professor from Oklahoma, was asked by investigators if there would be any reason why Thomas should not be considered qualified for the job of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. She reluctantly told the investigator of various episodes of sexual harassment, of inappropriate workplace comments and his obsession with pornographic material.
Other women reported the same kind of comments from Thomas, and the video store had records of Thomas' rental history which corroborated the claim that he was an avid consumer of X-rated videos. Also, friends of Anita Hill remembered her complaints about Thomas' behavior. That information was kept from the committee and the public.
At that time, there were many qualified candidates who did not carry such disgusting baggage, but President Bush wanted to force Thomas onto the court. A smear campaign began at the highest levels of government intended to discredit Ms. Hill. The campaign was effective enough so that the American public called it a draw, and in the end, Thomas squeaked by with 52 votes in favor of his confirmation. In the intervening years, the slime that got Thomas his government position has remained with him and taints the highest court. In recent years, his wife's political activities and her conservative causes suggest that Thomas should have recused himself in a number of important cases where his family obtained economic benefits. For example, during the confirmation process, Citizens United contributed to him, and yet, he voted on the recent decision involving that organization. His inability to understand what amounts to a conflict of interest would seem to disqualify him to sit on the highest court.
His wife's political activities have raised vast sums which have benefited the Thomas family. Thomas did not report any of that income for several years, even though it was mandatory. When caught, Thomas excused himself by saying he didn't understand the reporting form. Not smart enough to obey the law should not be an excuse for an associate justice.
Senator Joe Biden embarrassed himself when he ran the hearing which would decide who was telling the truth, but the most despicable conduct belonged to Sen. Orin Hatch of Utah and Sen. John Danforth.
This movie does a good job of covering an ugly moment in Supreme Court history.