Clarence Thomas calls Washington a ‘disgusting place’

FAIRHOPE, Ala. (AP) – Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas told participants at a judicial conference Friday that he and his wife have faced “nasties” and “lies” over the past few years and denounced Washington as a “disgusting place.”

Thomas spoke at a conference attended by judges, lawyers and other court personnel as a part of the eleventh Circuit Judicial Conference, which hears federal cases from Alabama, Florida and Georgia. In his comments, he pushed back at his critics in response to a query about working in a world that seems vile.

“I feel there are challenges with that. This is the world we live in and we – actually my wife and I – during the last two or three years have been just atrocity and lies, it’s just been unbelievable,” Thomas said.

“But you may have a alternative. You cannot stop people from doing terrible things or saying terrible things. But you may have to know and accept that they cannot change you should you don’t allow them to,” Thomas said.

Thomas has faced criticism that he accepted luxury trips from a GOP donor without reporting them. Thomas maintained last yr that he didn’t should report trips paid for by certainly one of “our dearest friends.” His wife, conservative activist Ginni Thomas, has faced criticism for using her Facebook page to amplify baseless claims of corruption by Democrat President Joe Biden.

He did circuitously address the content of the criticism, but said that “reckless” people in Washington will “bomb your reputation.”

“They’re not necessarily bombarding you, but they’re bombarding your reputation, good name and honor. And it’s not a crime. But they can do just as much damage this way,” Thomas said.

During the hearing, Thomas was questioned by U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, certainly one of Thomas’ former law clerks who was later appointed to the federal bench. During his hour-long speech, the court’s longest-serving judge discussed a wide selection of topics, including his grandfather’s lessons, his friendship with former colleagues and his belief that court papers and discussions ought to be more accessible to “ordinary people.” “

Thomas, who has spent most of his skilled life in Washington, also mentioned his distaste for the place.

“I feel what you are going to search out, especially in Washington, is individuals who pride themselves on being terrible. I feel it’s a terrible place,” Thomas said. Thomas said this is one of the reasons he and his wife “like RVing.”

“You can be around regular people who are not proud of doing harmful things just because they have the ability to do it or because they disagree with it,” Thomas said.

The recreational vehicle utilized by Thomas also became a source of controversy. In October, Senate Democrats released a report saying that almost all of the $267,000 loan Thomas took out to purchase a high-end coach appeared to have been forgiven.

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Thomas didn’t comment on the high variety of cases before the court.

The judge said he believed it was vital to make use of language in court decisions to make the law accessible to the common person.

“I think ordinary people are sometimes disenfranchised by the way we talk about issues,” Thomas said.

Thomas wasn’t the one judge who spoke Friday.

Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh said Friday that U.S. history shows that court decisions which might be unpopular on the time can later develop into a part of the “fabric of American constitutional law.”

Kavanaugh spoke Friday at a conference attended by judges, lawyers and other court staff from the fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi and is some of the conservative districts.