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Post Magazine
This Week: Supreme Discomfort
With Kevin Merida and Michael A. Fletcher
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, Aug. 5, 2002; 1 p.m. EDT
More than a decade after his bitter confirmation battle, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas remains unwavering in his principles. And, in the mainstream, African Americans are still judging him guilty. Is that fair?
Kevin Merida and Michael A. Fletcher, whose article "The Lonely Stand of Clarence Thomas" appeared in Sunday's Washington Post Magazine, were online Monday, Aug. 5 at 1 p.m. EDT, field questions and comments about the article and the career of Justice Thomas.
Merida is an associate editor of The Washington Post. Fletcher covers education for The Post.
A transcript follows.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Charlottesville, Va.:
Why does the media continue to let Clarence Thomas put them on the defensive? Still scared away by his "high tech lynching" comment during the confirmation hearings? I had looked forward to reading yesterday's article but the Clarence as a victim angle just didn't wash. The only victim in the whole affair was Anita Hill who got but a scant mention in your story. Did you ever stop to think that the bittrness remains because of the brutality of the disinformation campaign directed at her? At least a mention of that would have added some balance to your piece. Instead we get a benign mention of Thomas celebrating the 10 year anniversay of that character assassination.
Kevin Merida and Michael A. Fletcher: Michael: I would not agree that the media is on the defensive when it comes to Clarence Thomas. I know we didn't feel that way in reporting and writing this piece. The notion that drove our interest in doing this story was the harsh reaction he receives from many in the black community. I know we did not deal with Anita Hill much, but that is mainly because of two things: there is probably no way to know what really happened between them and also much of the anger directed at Thomas these days has less to do with Hill than with his conservative record on the court.
Collinsville, Ala.:
I've always been convinced if Thomas wasn't black, he would have never been considered.
Can you make the case, politics aside, Thurgood Marshall brought more substance to the court than Thomas; and now if Thomas were to step aside, Stephen Carter of Yale would bring more respectability to the court, give it more weight, gravity?
Kevin Merida and Michael A. Fletcher: Kevin: I think you've touched on one of the ironies of Thomas's ascension. It seems, in this country, there is but ONE black seat on the court..Marshall's resignation opened up that seat, and many conservative Republicans, who were disappointed with how Bush's previous choice--Souter--turned out, saw Thomas as both a worthy conservative and an African American who might be difficult to defeat. I think politics drove the decision to nominate him as much as anything...And Thomas himself, according to friends, acknowledges that he benefitted from the right connections.
Long Beach, Calif.:
I feel as though Judge Thomas suffers
from what I call "contrary" behavior. For him to be picked for such a symbolic post was the most cynical move I've witnessed in
52 years on the planet. Why is Bush Sr. left
out of this story? After all, he's the puppeteer.
Kevin Merida and Michael A. Fletcher: Michael: Your point is one that we've heard from others. But the story tried to deal mostly with what Thomas has done on the court and the kind of reaction he has engendered. If we were doing a fuller biography of the man, we would have dealt more with the politics of his appointment.
Wellesley, Mass.:
Great article!
I do not feel sorry for Thomas. He is a highly educated man who has made choices. African Americans resent his posture on Affirmative Action. It is ironic that he is against policies that allowed him to achieve his position on the Supreme Court. I do not oppose this conservative views but it annoys me that he seems to have forgotten his roots.
The unfortunate thing is that we are not familiar with his actions that might help African Americans. Is he involved with any initiatives that help the young in America? Does he or his wife serve on the board of or make significant contributions to any non-profit organizations?
Kevin Merida and Michael A. Fletcher: Kevin: Justice Thomas has been known to mentor youth, welcome them to his chambers, correspond with them. He enjoys speaking to students, and some of those sessions have been televised by C-Span...He has been described as being very generous with his time, as it relates to young people.
Washington, D.C.:
Good article, any feedback from Clarence Thomas on your article?
Kevin Merida and Michael A. Fletcher: Kevin: No feedback from Justice Thomas...But we welcome some...In fact, if you have a pipeline to him, tell him to dial us up or write in...Would love to talk to him.
Washington, D.C.:
Justice Thomas believes that it is always wrong, in all circumstances, to treat someone differently because of their race.
Why does that statement above anger liberal blacks so much? Isn't that what we fought for during the 60s?
Kevin Merida and Michael A. Fletcher: Michael: I think that is close to accurate. Justice Thomas seems to believe that the law cannot allow people to be treated differently because of their race. He views it as a principle that he cannot violate. I think this angers some people because they view Justice Thomas as having benefitted from race himself. One person we interviewed described him as someone who has climbed the ladder of affirmative action and is now attempting to pull it up behind him. Justice Thomas, of course, would disagree with the first part of that.
Harrisburg, Pa.:
Justice Thomas has a reputation for asking very few questions when hearing cases. Is this reputation deserved, and what does this mean? If this is true, how important is it to ask questions, and does this indicate someone who is not working hard to develop questions, someone who deters to others, or someone who does not believe there is a need to ask many questions?
Kevin Merida and Michael A. Fletcher: Kevin: It is true that Justice Thomas asks the fewest questions of anyone on the court. He has explained it several ways. One explanation is that it is difficult enough to come before the court, and that lawyers should be given their say without constantly being interrupted. He has implied that some of his colleagues who ask questions sometimes enjoy the sound of their own voices. He also says that by the time oral arguments come around, the basic facts of the case are known. He also says that he finds that sooner or later someone will ask his question...Perhaps the most interesting explanation has to do with his upbringing in the low country of Georgia; he says that when he was in 4th grade, he was often made fun of because of his Gullah dialect. He stopped talking as much, as a result, and developed a habit of listening...a habit apparently that has carried over to this day....Legal scholars have said that this criticism of Thomas is overrated; Harry Blackmun felt a lot like Thomas does, and was known to keep count of how many questions certain colleagues asked and give them grief about this practice.
Lorton, Va:
Has anyone tried to figure out who the real Clarence Thomas is? It seems to me that Clarence Thomas suffers from an incurable "separate yourself at all cost" disease. Furthermore, do you feel that he may alter his views given the right political circumstances (or the absence of Scalia).
Kevin Merida and Michael A. Fletcher: Michael: This story was our first attempt to, as you put it, figure out the real Clarence Thomas. Others have tried as well. It is interesting that you would say that Justice Thomas suffers from a "separate yourself at all cost" malady. If by that you mean racially, we would say that is not completely true. His friends say he enjoys--and even thirsts--the company of African Americans. He keeps up with some of his old friends from Pin Point, hosting them at his Fairfax home every summer. Over the years, he has spoken at some black gatherings, including before the National Bar Association and at Texas Southern law school. But, mostly, he tends to stick to conservative venues where his views are readily accepted.
Columbia, Md.:
I know that many people in the black community have a problem with Clarence Thomas. This is very unfortunate to me because instead of beating him down we should be lifting him up as a role model. When we still have people like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, still singing the same old victim song. What is wrong with a man who believes in and trumpets the importance of individual initiative in overcoming circumstance? When do you think that the black community will wake up and see that Clarence Thomas is not our problem?
Kevin Merida and Michael A. Fletcher: Kevin: Nothing is wrong with advocating individual initiative to overcome circumstance. A great many people, across the ideological spectrum, share this view...With Thomas, however, the criticism seems more directed at what his detractors see as hypocrisy--that he has benefitted from policies and considerations that he doesn't readily acknowledge and also counsels against...The last question you raised is one that can't be answered...It would be interesting, however, to see Thomas engage some of his critics in the debate over ideas that he says he welcomes.
Burlington, Vt.:
One of the issues of the article obviously is the condemnation of a man in a lonely place on the racial/political spectrum. Do you get the impression that Thomas sustains himself with a strong sense that he is at least intellectually honest, if not politically popular?
Kevin Merida and Michael A. Fletcher: Michael: In many of his speeches, Justice Thomas has talked openly about his ideological and political development and of the place he finds himself in because of his views. He also has told friends that he expects that his stands will be vindicated in the future.
Silver Spring, Md.:
Did you find this piece particularly difficult to write? If so, why?
Kevin Merida and Michael A. Fletcher: Kevin: I think we both found the piece difficult to write--finding the right tone and voice. Justice Thomas is a hard subject, for there are no soft opinions about him and, regrettably, he didn't open himself up for extensive chats that might have revealed more of what's going on inside his mind.
Silver Spring, Md.:
Why doesn't Judge Thomas make himself more visible in the black community? There are blacks who maintain a difference of opinion. He should not allow a few high pitched voices to silence him. He is an intelligent man and I believe he owes it to the children today, black, white, yellow or red to speak to them and give them some words of encouragement.
Kevin Merida and Michael A. Fletcher: Michael: That is one of the questions we would have asked Justice Thomas if he had granted an interview. We found it striking that in speeches and conversations with friends he complains about being mischaracterized by his detractors. But yet he rarely addresses them head-on. If he truly cares about the community he comes from, then why not find more ways to engage that community?
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