Clarence Thomas Has Harsh Words For Washington D.C. Institutions
"... we are going to have to realize ..."
At Heritage Foundation dinner honoring his 25 years on the Supreme Court, Justice Clarence Thomas spoke strongly about his views of the state of affairs in Washington, D.C.
While Thomas discussed a wide variety of issues, he said Washington has forfeit the trust of the public.
“At some point, we are going to have to realize that we are destroying institutions,” he said. “What have we done to gain their confidence.”
“Perhaps we should ask ourselves what we have done to not earn it or to earn it,” he added.
Regarding the institution of the court system, Thomas lamented how contentious the judicial nomination process has become.
"We have decided rather than confront disagreements and the differences of opinion, we will simply annihilate the person who disagrees," he said.
The longtime Justice also commented on Obamacare, noting the irony of its official name, the "Affordable Care Act," in light of recent admissions by the White House that premiums in the exchanges are set to skyrocket in 2017.
"It seems like a misnomer considering all the things that are going on," said Thomas, who voted against the legislation's constitutionality when it was brought before the Supreme Court.
Speaking about the landmark District of Columbia v. Heller Supreme Court case affirming the individual right to own a firearm and upholding the Second Amendment, Thomas chided those who seem to ignore it, saying some "want to pretend it doesn't exist."
Thomas also reiterated his view that the Supreme Court precedent should never supersede Constitutionality.
"You've got lots of precedents out there that have been changed," Thomas said. "I believe we are obligated to rethink things constantly."
Thomas also spoke of his late colleague, Justice Antonin Scalia, who passed away earlier this year.
"He was from the north, and I was from the south, but we wound up at the same place," he said, referring to their joint views on the importance of following the Constitution first and foremost.
Thomas said he admired Scalia for his steadfastness and contentiousness in all areas of his judicial role.
"He did the small, he did the big, he cared about it all," Thomas said. "That teaches you a lesson — that it all matters."
Thomas also joked about their varying interests, recalling he once told Scalia, "No good comes from being in the woods," when the late Justice asked him to go hunting.
The issue of the Supreme Court has been at center stage this election season, as the next president will appoint the justice who will break the current 4-4 split of right-leaning and left-leaning judges.
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