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Justice Thomas: con rmation process not what it ought to be
By JESSICA GRESKO, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court Justice Clarence omas said ursday that he believes that Congress’ process for con rming judges and others in government will discourage “some of our best people” from serving.
Speaking at an event at the Library of Congress’ omas Je erson building, directly across from the Capitol, omas said he doesn’t think the con rmation process “is what it ought to be.”
“I don’t think they should become spectacle. is is not the Roman Colosse- um. We’re not gladiators, and I think we’re going to lose some of our best people who choose not to go through the ordeal,” he said.
omas added, “ ey don’t want to have
to ght the lion in order to be a judge or to be in government and I think it’s our own fault for allowing this to happen.”
omas’ own 1991 con rmation was controversial, with his former employee Anita Hill accusing him of sexual ha- rassment. omas denied the allegations in testimony before Congress, saying senators’ sta ers had searched for “sleaze” and “dirt” about him and leaked it to the media. He was ultimately con rmed 52 to 48.
Hill’s name never came up ursday, nor did the topic of sexual harassment. omas said of his con rmation: “You know I don’t have bitter feelings or anything like that.”
He said he thinks “a lot of people have second thoughts” about the con rmation process.
“I can’t tell you how many people I know who, in the middle of it, said ‘What was I thinking?’ I think that’s unfortunate,” he said.
omas, who was nominated by Presi- dent George H.W. Bush, spent just under an hour answering questions from Judge Gregory E. Maggs, a former omas clerk who was recently con rmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.
omas said the best part of his job as a justice is interacting with his clerks. e worst part of his job is the “loss of ano- nymity,” said omas, who called himself an introvert.
He took no questions from the audience. ___
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