This tweet is receiving a number of interesting replies.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor did a talk in Chicago tonight hosted by Roosevelt University.
She was asked how she maintains relationships with judges she disagrees with — Clarence Thomas, in particular.
[Image above is] what she said...
Here are some of the endless replies...
• Thomas taught a course at my law school, and he was unfailingly kind to everyone. He invited a classmate of mine who was a huge Nebraska fan to watch a Nebraska game with him from the VIP box. I find his personal kindness so incongruous with his decisions and his politics.
• it's probably a shield for him. by being kind he can prove to himself that the duty to help others should be left to the individual rather than the state. it probably absolves him of any potential guilt he might feel bfrom his decades long agenda to destroy the social safety net
• The thing people miss about Thomas is that he was on track to become a Catholic priest. The racism he encountered in the Seminary and after MLK's assassination changed his trajectory. What Sotomayor says tracks. The folk at the court are his parish. The rest of us don't matter.
• But what kills me is...it seems like for most people, encountering that racism at seminary would turn them in the OPPOSITE direction as that in which Thomas went. Right? Like, he hated the racism so much he decided to...become one with/a tool for the white supremacists party?!
• I’ve heard similar personal accounts about Clarence Thomas. I appreciate Justice Sotomayor’s grace and can learn from it. In real life, I’m often met with people who I like personally and would never align with politically. I believe we are all struggling with this.
Clarification: I disagree, wholeheartedly, with Justice Thomas and seriously doubt his integrity on the bench in light of his wife’s involvement with upcoming cases.
Clarification: I disagree, wholeheartedly, with Justice Thomas and seriously doubt his integrity on the bench in light of his wife’s involvement with upcoming cases.
• She's wrong. This kind of indulgence is fine for neighborhood relations, but not for positions of power. Knowing he's a person and has genuinely good intentions has not changed the outcome one jot.
• She wasn't saying anyone has to do this with anyone else. She's saying she prefers a cordial relationship with her coworkers and sees the good in the people they are outside of their jobs so she may continue working alongside them. I don't think she's asking anyone to like them.
• Clarence Thomas pretends to be interested in the people he comes in contact with as a defense mechanism! It helps to camouflage public persona! But he doesn’t care about the millions of people he will never come into contact with!
• Be curious what his honest opinion of her is? She has the respectfulness and understanding we value in a Supreme Court Justice. Thomas may know “names” and “situations”, but it’s a far cry from what is required to be a good and fair Justice. He has proven he’s not in her class.
• I, frankly, don't care that he knows everybody in his building. He's quite content to take away the rights of at least half of them. His wife tried to overthrow a duly elected govt! No way he wasn't aware of this! But, yeah, tell me to like him for knowing people's names!
• I think he knew Anita Hill’s name too.
• Not everyone can reach their bootstraps but there are many options to help people besides the government - family, friends, charities, etc. - I imagine Clarence thinks those options are preferable and should therefore be nurtured and enhanced.
• And what the hell is the point of Government if not to help it’s people. Why exactly have I been paying taxes to the Government since my first job at 15 if I cannot turn to that same Government if I fall on hard times and need assistance to get back on my feet?
• Justice Clarence Thomas wants everyone to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Justice Sotomayor recognizes that not everyone can reach their bootstraps. I recognize that not everyone has boots.
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