Justice Clarence Thomas blasted the media and warned that the Supreme Court could become a dangerous institution if some justices decide cases based on their political agenda instead of the law.
Thomas made the comments in a rare public speech at the University of Notre Dame according to the Washington Post.
“I think the media makes it sound as though you are just always going right to your personal preference,” said Thomas, who was appointed to the highest court in 1991 by former President George H.W. Bush.
“So if they think you are anti-abortion or something personally, they think that’s the way you always will come out,” he continued. “They think you’re for this or for that. They think you become like a politician.”
He also warned against the politicization of the Supreme Court by some justices, without specifying to whom he was referring.
“The court was thought to be the least dangerous branch and we may have become the most dangerous,” he said, “And I think that’s problematic.”
He went on to say that justices should rule against their emotions if the law demands it.
“You do your job and you go cry alone,” Thomas said.
The comments from Thomas mirrored those of Justice Amy Coney Barrett who said last week that the media was misrepresenting her colleagues as “partisan” hacks.
“Sometimes, I don’t like the results of my decisions. But it’s not my job to decide cases based on the outcome I want,” she added. “Judicial philosophies are not the same as political parties.”
The Supreme Court has been under intense scrutiny after it refused to block a law in Texas that would implement new restrictions on abortion by allowing private citizens to sue those who they suspected of providing illegal abortion services. Critics of the law said it undermined the decades of legal precedent from the landmark Roe vs. Wade that established abortion rights.
Here’s more about the SCOTUS ruling in Texas:
Supreme Court rejects Texas’ effort to toss out election results in 4 key states
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