Quiet Clarence Thomas turns into court’s conservative icon

Cotter’s Corner

By Daniel A. Cotter

Daniel A. Cotter is a partner at Latimer LeVay Fyock LLC and author of the upcoming book “The Chief Justices” (Twelve Tables Press). The views expressed here are solely those of the author. He can be reached at dcotter@llflegal.com.

Posted May 20, 2019 9:26 AM

Earlier this year, Cotter’s Corner discussed several cases where Justice Clarence Thomas challenged long-established precedents. Until recently, Thomas was often a party of one in his dissents. Fellow originalist Antonin G. Scalia once reportedly stated when asked about Thomas and his judicial philosophy, “Look, I’m an originalist, but I’m not a nut.”For example, during the October 2017 term, Thomas was a lone voice in suggesting six long-standing precedents should be removed from the books as …

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