Clarence Thomas had a tough childhood, my oh my. Born into a world of segregation and discrimination, he endured mockery from his peers because of his “ABC” skin tone. He thought he’d found solace in the church, but sorry to say, being a black priest was not exactly in fashion back then. And when Martin Luther King Jr. was shot, well, it was like a rat abandoning a sinking ship. Poor chap, lost his calling and whatnot.
But that’s not all, folks. Mr Thomas’s dear old granddaddy was not exactly thrilled to have him come back after leaving the seminary. In fact, he kicked the guy out on his keister! Apparently, he was afraid of Clarence turning out just like his dad or “those other no-good Pin Point Negroes”. Well, isn’t that just jolly.
So Clarence marched and rioted and decided to get himself an education. Boy, did he ever. Off to Yale Law School he went, but little did he know that racism could spread like wildfire even in such a prestigious hall of learning. They looked down on him, thinking he was only there because of his skin colour. Poor Clarence started drinking too much, got divored and could barely make ends meet even after he became the chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under Ronald Reagan. Even American Express cancelled his credit card, and he almost got evicted from his apartment. Talk about bad luck.
The list of groups who’ve done Clarence wrong is longer than the line at the DMV. There are light-skinned black people who thought they were too good for him, white conservatives who thought he couldn’t share their views, black liberals who thought he shouldn’t share such views, white liberals who also thought that, and then there are the rich white men who just had to make things worse. I mean, Joe Biden? Really, bro? He questioned Clarence’s commitment to racial justice during his Senate confirmation hearings and then went on to accuse him of sexual harassment. And Clarence was just playing by the rules! But nope, those pesky whites could just change the rules whenever they wanted. And they did.
So now, Clarence is a justice. A top dog. A big kahuna. And boy does he get to make the rules now. You’d think that with his high position, he’d be able to afford a fancy trip or two. Well, actually, make that a half-a-million-dollar trip around Indonesia by private jet and yacht. Hey, why not?
But oh no, oh no, Justice Thomas has landed himself in hot water once again. Turns out he’s been accepting luxury trips from a right-wing Texas billionaire by the name of Harlan Crow for over two decades now. And guess what? He never disclosed them! Public services, journalists, and hey, even, politicians, they all rub shoulders with lobbyists and lawyers who make way much more money than they do. And let’s face it, those bespoke suits aren’t exactly cheap. Not that anyone’s saying the judge’s vacations have corrupted his rulings or anything. But it does raise a few eyebrows, doesn’t it?
Here’s where the fun really begins. Justice Thomas claims he “sought guidance from my colleagues” and learned that he was not required to disclose Crow’s gifts as a friend with no business before the court. Okay then. So, essentially, he’s saying it’s not his fault. But wait, there’s more. This raises a whole lot of questions about the Supreme Court itself. Do they have a code of conduct? Apparently not. And what do they consider okay and not okay? Who knows, who cares!
The thing is, actually, most Americans are starting to think that justice isn’t exactly on the level. I mean, when a federal judge can just substitute his judgment for that of the Food and Drug Administration and ban a trusted abortion drug, that’s a bit worrying, don’t you think? And why do political parties spend millions of dollars to contest a swing seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court? Can you trust someone who doesn’t follow rules? Polling shows that most Americans no longer have much confidence in the justice system or the Supreme Court. So, maybe the justices should stop making the case for the prosecution and start mounting a defense instead. Just a thought.