U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas Treats Criticism of Courts
After President Obama took on recent Supreme Court rulings in a January speech, U.S. Justice Clarence Thomas is taking aims at criticism of the highest court in the land.
According to AP reports, a recent address at the University of Florida law school included assertions by Thomas that individuals who criticize the Supreme Court are sometimes helping to undermine the authority of the U.S. government. Some of what Thomas said appears to be related to the idea that those facing Supreme Court decisions that they do not like should just ‘agree to disagree’ as part of a professional legal tradition.
Thomas’ reported comments about diversity of opinion in the judicial community remain inscrutable to many commentators, but his words are showing a divide between Supreme Court justices, many of whom entered the court on the watch of George W. Bush, and the new Commander in Chief.
The entire furor between branches of the U.S. federal government seems to stem from the recent majority ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court granting vast freedom to corporations, which were previously barred from contributing to some types of political campaigns. Under new laws, corporations and unions can spend freely on public ads for or against various political candidates.
The President’s rebuttal in his State of the Union speech inflamed some in the judicial and legislative branches of government, though U.S. Supreme Court Justices have largely brushed off calls for public comment.
To many, the interaction seems emblematic of a larger conflict between large corporate interests and the community of American families now known colloquially as “Main Street.” The landmark ruling on campaign finance shows that the U.S. Supreme Court can have a much wider area of influence than it commonly commands, and the issue has attracted new attention from professional legal experts looking at the future of how the high court’s actions will affect all Americans.
Monheit is the managing lawyer at Monheit Law, outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has practiced law since 1989. Michael Monheit was the managing attorney of the law offices of Herbert Monheit — now Silverman and Fodera — a firm founded by... Michael Monheit→
