General Discussion

Tx4obama

(36,974 posts) Thu Mar 29, 2012, 02:48 AM Mar 2012

Did Justice Thomas ask a question or make any statement during the past three days ...

of the health care hearing at the SCOTUS?

I listened to part of day two and most of day three, but I missed day one.

Anyone know about Thomas?

I know he's famous for not asking question, so I was wondering.

17 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Did Justice Thomas ask a question or make any statement during the past three days ... (Original Post) Tx4obama Mar 2012 OP

He exercised his right to remain silent. Loudly Mar 2012 #1

No. steve2470 Mar 2012 #2

February 2011 (5th anniversary) AND March 29th (6th year) Tx4obama Mar 2012 #5

Never said a word. Hoping everyone would forget this: SomethingFishy Mar 2012 #3

Justice Thomas has refrained from speaking for many years now. No Joke! Firebrand Gary Mar 2012 #4

Apparently 6 years now, see comment #5 Tx4obama Mar 2012 #6

You can read his body expressions from the sketch art. ellisonz Mar 2012 #7

Thank you for posting that :) n/t Tx4obama Mar 2012 #8

You're welcome. ellisonz Mar 2012 #9

ROFL Cali_Democrat Mar 2012 #10

Seems strange that SCALIA would ask this ... Tx4obama Mar 2012 #11

I wonder: Do the supremes pretend to be politically uninformed Ship of Fools Mar 2012 #12

How can we tell? allagash Mar 2012 #13

Thomas has actually been dead for years. They have him stuffed up there CanonRay Mar 2012 #14

clarence the mute spanone Mar 2012 #15

They would have had to wake him first. DFW Mar 2012 #16

He got his vocal cords removed as part of his Javaman Mar 2012 #17

Loudly

(2,436 posts)

1. He exercised his right to remain silent.

Reply to Tx4obama (Original post)

Thu Mar 29, 2012, 02:51 AM

Mar 2012

steve2470

(37,457 posts)

2. No.

Reply to Tx4obama (Original post)

Thu Mar 29, 2012, 02:55 AM

Mar 2012

I don't see him mentioned anywhere in the transcript or hear him in the audio.

Tx4obama

(36,974 posts)

5. February 2011 (5th anniversary) AND March 29th (6th year)

Reply to steve2470 (Reply #2)

Thu Mar 29, 2012, 03:09 AM

Mar 2012

ABC News

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22, 2011

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas celebrated an unusual anniversary today: It's been five years since he's asked a question during oral arguments.

Over the years Thomas has read opinions from the bench, but the last time he spoke up spontaneously during an exchange among the justices and lawyers was in February 2006.

<snip>

I'm guessing it's been SIX years now

==============================

Ah, here we go, just found this one too...

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Six Years of Silence for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas

Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- As the Supreme Court justices Tuesday fired questions on the Obamacare mandate across the bench, one voice was notably -- but perhaps predictably -- silent. So far every justice on the bench has spoken up on the health care law except for one: Justice Clarence Thomas.

Indeed, if you search Tuesday’s 126-page transcript of arguments, you won’t find Thomas’ name a single time.

It has now been six years since the justice has asked questions during oral arguments, although he certainly has read his opinions from the bench in his robust baritone.

Thomas has said that he goes into the oral argument sessions knowing how he will decide a case so he doesn’t ask questions.

<SNIP>

http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/news/national-news/26990-six-years-of-silence-for-supreme-court-justice-clarence-thomas

SomethingFishy

(4,876 posts)

3. Never said a word. Hoping everyone would forget this:

Reply to Tx4obama (Original post)

Thu Mar 29, 2012, 03:02 AM

Mar 2012

..."Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas finally released the details of his wife's income from her year or so working for the tea party group Liberty Central, which fought President Obama's health care reform law. His new financial disclosure form indicates that his wife, Virginia, who served as Liberty Central's president and CEO, received $150,000 in salary from the group and less than $15,000 in payments from an anti-health care lobbying firm she started."

http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/05/clarence-thomas-health-care-reform-weiner

He should have recused himself.

Firebrand Gary

(5,044 posts)

4. Justice Thomas has refrained from speaking for many years now. No Joke!

Reply to Tx4obama (Original post)

Thu Mar 29, 2012, 03:05 AM

Mar 2012

Apparently the last time Justice Thomas spoke during an oral argument was in 2007. He has been silent for FIVE years.

Tx4obama

(36,974 posts)

6. Apparently 6 years now, see comment #5

Reply to Firebrand Gary (Reply #4)

Thu Mar 29, 2012, 03:11 AM

Mar 2012

ellisonz

(27,711 posts)

7. You can read his body expressions from the sketch art.

Reply to Tx4obama (Original post)

Thu Mar 29, 2012, 03:11 AM

Mar 2012

Tx4obama

(36,974 posts)

8. Thank you for posting that :) n/t

Reply to ellisonz (Reply #7)

Thu Mar 29, 2012, 03:15 AM

Mar 2012

ellisonz

(27,711 posts)

9. You're welcome.

Reply to Tx4obama (Reply #8)

Thu Mar 29, 2012, 03:19 AM

Mar 2012

No mercy from the political cartoonists...

Cali_Democrat

(30,439 posts)

10. ROFL

Reply to ellisonz (Reply #7)

Thu Mar 29, 2012, 03:25 AM

Mar 2012

Tx4obama

(36,974 posts)

11. Seems strange that SCALIA would ask this ...

Reply to Tx4obama (Original post)

Thu Mar 29, 2012, 03:30 AM

Mar 2012

Scalia: Is partisanship at work in health care challenge?

3/28/12 3:45 PM EDT

Justice Antonin Scalia wonders if partisanship is behind the 26-state lawsuit against President Obama's signature health care law:

JUSTICE SCALIA: Mr. Clement, I didn't take the time to figure this out, but maybe you did. Is there any chance at all that 26 States opposing it have Republican governors and all of the states supporting it have Democratic governors? Is that possible?

MR. CLEMENT: There's a correlation, Justice Scalia.

JUSTICE SCALIA: Yes

http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/03/scalia-is-partisanship-at-work-in-health-care-challenge-118986.html

Ship of Fools

(1,453 posts)

12. I wonder: Do the supremes pretend to be politically uninformed

Reply to Tx4obama (Reply #11)

Thu Mar 29, 2012, 06:25 AM

Mar 2012

in order to appear nonpartisan? If so, it's really unconvincing, imo.

allagash

(1 post)

13. How can we tell?

Reply to Tx4obama (Original post)

Thu Mar 29, 2012, 08:13 AM

Mar 2012

When Silent Cal Coolidge died, H.L. Mencken supposedly asked "How can they tell?". Maybe C. Thomas needs to have his pulse checked - and then be replaced. How can it be that he asks no questions? Obviously he's already decided - or will as soon as Scalia tells him what to think. There is no impeachment process for the Supremes, is there?

CanonRay

(14,101 posts)

14. Thomas has actually been dead for years. They have him stuffed up there

Reply to Tx4obama (Original post)

Thu Mar 29, 2012, 09:00 AM

Mar 2012

and Scalia votes for him.

spanone

(135,835 posts)

15. clarence the mute

Reply to Tx4obama (Original post)

Thu Mar 29, 2012, 09:01 AM

Mar 2012

DFW

(54,384 posts)

16. They would have had to wake him first.

Reply to Tx4obama (Original post)

Thu Mar 29, 2012, 09:09 AM

Mar 2012

And NOBODY disturbs a sleeping SC "Justice," although when referring to Clarence Thomas,
the only Justice that his mindset resembles is Buford T. Justice.

Javaman

(62,530 posts)

17. He got his vocal cords removed as part of his

Reply to Tx4obama (Original post)

Thu Mar 29, 2012, 10:08 AM

Mar 2012

confirmation to the bench.

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