Thomas: no questions in 2 years (and 144 cases, Justice Thomas has refrained from oral argument)

AP on Yahoo ^ | 2/25/08 | Mark Sherman - ap

[Revolting cat!]

Promote this man to Chief Justice!

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

As long as the information is all being presented I see no reason for him to ask questions.

[Retired Greyhound]

I agree with Thomas. I have heard the audio of a few cases and sometimes wish that the blowhards would just shut up and listen.

Geechee...there is a word I haven’t heard in a while.

[ml/nj]

I guess the AP is more impressed with incoherent questions from Ruth Bader Ginsberg. She must truly be an embarrassment to the others on the Court.

ML/NJ

[Williams]

Experienced appellate attorneys know that oral argument is almost always a formality. With 9 Supreme Court Justices and their cadres of clerks, plus the parties and their briefs, and all the amicus briefs, the chances that you are going to think of something new in oral argument is miniscule.

In a tiny fraction of cases something interesting may be conceded or a point made clearer, but generally Thomas is exactly right; they are there to decide, not teaching a law 101 seminar for the reporters.

[SampleMan]

An educated man that doesn’t love to hear himself talk is a rare thing.

[NinoFan]

Yawn. In the history of the Court, some justices have been rather talkative while others have been almost silent during oral argument. It doesn’t tell us much about the justice at all.

[goodnesswins]

I am going to add another item to my list of things I want to do in my lifetime....Meeting Justice Thomas is it!

[Tijeras_Slim]

An educated man that doesn’t love to hear himself talk is a rare thing.

I was saying the same thing to my family and friends just yesterday. ;)

[SaxxonWoods]

Questions are mainly used to influence movement on a position by other Judges. Thomas already knows who is going to vote with him, and the rest are not touchable by him. Knowing this, he remains silent. Thomas and Scalia are the most conservative members. Scalia loves to mix it up even though he knows he will not convert anyone. Thomas does not bother.

If Obama or Clinton nominates 3-6 new Judges to the Court, which is very possible, the conservative movement will be severely damaged for 25 to 30 years. Several Democratic Justices will retire quickly upon election of a Democrat. If McCain is elected, they will try to wait him out, hoping he is a one-termer. McCain would probably get 1-2 nominations in one term. The Court can be expected to remain basically status quo under McCain.

[San Jacinto]

Everyone should read Justice Thomas' memoir, My Grandfather's Son. It is a wonderful story of someone growing up under hard conditions, attaining high moral values and an appreciation for the nation's political history, particularly as it relates to the importance of limited government.

Of course, prepare to be outraged upon being reminded of the high-tech lynching administered to Justice Thomas by the elite liberal corrupt hypocrites in the U.S. Senate and their various support groups. However, the outrage is quickly replaced by satisfaction in the result and admiration for Justice Thomas himself, who refused to back down from the attack and showed the likes of Kennedy and Biden they had picked the wrong victim. He did not bother to try to hide his disdain for the cowardly bullies of the Judiciary Committee.

I am proud to have hanging on my wall a letter I received from Justice Thomas in reply to one I sent him. He not only took the time to thank me, but he included a lengthy hand written note addressing specific points I had made about the importance grandparents can play in a person's life. He wrote, "I deeply appreciate your kind and thoughtful letter...", and he went on to state his thoughts on the matters relating to grandparenting which I had brought up.

I do not know if Clarence Thomas will ever be accorded the respect he has earned as the pre-eminent role model for young Americans of every race, but I do know that the constant attacks and innuendo as represented by this article will never cease. He is too much proof of the fallacy of everything liberals stand for for them to ever leave him alone, but he is too much of a man to ever be cowed by them.

[VeniVidiVici]

Most of the time when I see questions printed from the other Supremes (read: the Left-wing ones) they are not questions but statements disguised as questions.

[San Jacinto]

I am going to add another item to my list of things I want to do in my lifetime....Meeting Justice Thomas is it!

That would indeed be an honor, but at least write him. I think he appreciates knowing we are out here (see my previous post).

[nygoose]

He’s the “Quiet Man” of the Supreme Court.

[Enchante]

The little bit I have seen about the “questions” asked by the other SCOTUS justices suggests to me that there is mostly a lot of posing and posturing, with some playing to the larger public via pompous leftist “reporters” such as Linda Greenhouse. [Scalia is the exception since virtually anything he has to say is always worth hearing and thinking about!]

[goodnesswins]

Thanks, I will.

[SF Republican]

My Uncle was a big time steel erection construction man (cover of the industry magazine 5 times); he was on his church building committee and was asked why he never said anything even though he was the most qualified on the committee to speak - he said, “If you ever say anything I disagree with or which is not correct, I will let you know”.

[geopyg]

16 years??? I must be getting old. It seems like only the other day that Coke cans and literary references were in the news.

[montag813]

I absolutely adore this man. I caught his book party on C-SPAN at another Justice’s home, and the sheer humanity and dignity of the man greatly impressed me. God bless Clarence Thomas and may he live a long and happy life.