Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, accused Thomas of workplace sexual harassment. The proceedings were chaired by a then-49-year-old Democratic senator named Joe Biden.Īnita Hill, a Black law school professor who previously had worked for Thomas at the U.S. He has long rankled civil rights activists for his opposition to affirmative action in college admissions and hiring practices.īut nowhere was his steely constitution more on display than during his 1991 confirmation hearings conducted by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Unlike most of his fellow justices, he is known for rarely taking part in aggressive questioning of lawyers arguing cases. court, is known for not shying away from controversy, despite an almost Sphinx-like demeanor during Supreme Court sessions. Thomas, only the second Black justice to serve on the highest U.S.

Wade ruling, which established the right to abortion.Īmid outrage among Democrats in Congress, Thomas said Supreme Court precedents protecting rights to contraception, same-sex intimacy and gay marriage ought to be reconsidered in future cases. Just last summer, Thomas sparked an uproar on the heels of the Supreme Court overturning the landmark Roe v. But he said he would abide by new, tighter rules that recently took effect.Īs one of the most conservative justices in a conservative-heavy Supreme Court, Thomas has been a lightning rod for liberals who have been frustrated by his rulings and his tone. On Friday, Thomas said in a statement that he was advised that the 'personal hospitality' provided by Harlan Crow was not reportable under disclosure rules. On Thursday, Senate Democrats called for an investigation after a report by ProPublica said the 74-year-old associate justice has spent decades taking luxury trips around the world financed by a Dallas businessman - trips that were not disclosed under federal law.

Supreme Court justice began following one of the most contentious confirmation battles in Senate history and 32 years later this conservative champion continues to draw controversy. WASHINGTON, April 7 (Reuters) - Clarence Thomas' career as a U.S.

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