U.S. justice hits politics from bench

Thomas assesses state of judiciary

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Thursday criticized some in the judiciary for veering into the role of legislators and politicians, saying it is not the role of judges to make policy or to base decisions on their personal feelings or religious beliefs.

Speaking at the University of Notre Dame, Thomas said judges “venturing into areas we should not have entered into” is part of why the nomination process, particularly for federal judges with lifetime appointments like himself, is so contentious.

“The court was thought to be the least dangerous branch and we may have become the most dangerous,” Thomas said. “And I think that’s problematic.”

He did not cite any specific examples.

Thomas is the most senior justice on a court that grew more conservative under President Donald Trump, who placed three justices on the court. His speech Thursday is at the alma mater of his newest colleague on the court, Amy Coney Barrett, who graduated from Notre Dame Law School and served on the faculty there.

Thursday’s speech at the Catholic university by Thomas, a Catholic, was delivered two weeks after he was among the majority in the Supreme Court’s 5-4 vote to deny an emergency appeal of a new Texas law banning most abortions. The court suggested it was not their last word on the matter. The law is the biggest restriction of abortion rights since the court’s landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that women have a constitutional right to abortion.

Thomas has called on the court to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision that extended abortion rights across the country, and he was one of four justices who would have overturned Roe in a 1992 decision, during his first term.

Thomas was accused of sexual harassment by former employee Anita Hill during his own bruising 1991 confirmation hearing — charges he denied.

On Thursday, he said “the craziness” during his confirmation was the result of the politicization of the judiciary, saying “it was absolutely about abortion, a matter I had not thought deeply about at the time.”

At one point during the lecture three protesters stood and yelled “I still believe Anita Hill.” They were escorted out of the auditorium without incident; the crowd then stood and applauded.

Thursday’s lecture was a rare public speech by Thomas, who typically shies away from public speaking. He is known for going years without asking questions during arguments before the Supreme Court.