US Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas was in hospital after he showed ‘flu-like signs and was found to be infected. A spokesperson of the supreme court said that Clarence Thomas had taken both doses of the COVID-19 vaccination and was not infected.
The supreme court has not offered any reason it withheld information for two days about Justice Thomas’s illness before revealing the news about his hospitalization.
A statement from the Supreme Court said that Thomas was moved to Washington D.C.’s Sibley Memorial Hospital after he exhibited symptoms of flu.
The Supreme Court of the US is hearing arguments in 4 cases this week. The court confirmed that Justice Clarence Thomas would be participating through online discussion or through transcripts, briefs, or audio, in cases where he is unable to be present in person.
The confirmation hearing for Ketanji B. Jackson will begin on Monday in the US Congress. She is the first judge to be nominated by Joe Biden. She will replace Justice Stephen Breyer, if confirmed. Breyer is another liberal judge who has decided to retire in the summer.
If elected, Brown Jackson will sit as the third Black and the first Black woman at the top of the US Supreme Court. Judges in the US stay for life unless they decide to retire.
Justice Clarence Thomas And His Controversies
The conservative Clarence Thomas is the longest service judge, the 73-year-old having been confirmed in 1991 by George HW Bush. His confirmation had been controversial as he was facing an allegation of sexual harassment then, which he had denied.
Justice Clarence Thomas is the most right-wing of the court that is heavily skewered at 6-3, favoring the Republicans. Donald Trump selected 3 judges during his presidential years.
The appointment of Justice Jackson will not alter that equation though. It has led to speculation that the Republicans will go easy on her appointment, smug in the belief that they have rabid conservatives like Justice Clarence Thomas at their service.
Clarence Thomas’s wife is also a right-wing activist, which has further cast aspersion of his neutrality as a judge. He could even face impeachment and one commentator wished him a speedy return so that he could face the charges.
