All Eyes Are Now on Clarence Thomas : His job is to settle cases, not settle scores

After such a fierce and convulsive fight, there can be little left for the nation but hope. Hope that Clarence Thomas will be able to put aside his own hurt and resentment and rise in spirit as well as in fact to the high court. Hope that the Senate, after a bitter, divisive and knives-flashing showdown, will be able to review the many errors of its partisan ways and divine some better method of conducting the important business of the nation. And hope that the White House, having won the battle that it felt it had to have, will realize that not all such triumphs are without cost.

But do such sentiments add up to no more than hope? What are the real odds that the nation will indeed emerge the better for this savage political experience?

The key is Clarence Thomas himself. Having narrowly escaped what he bitterly--and many felt melodramatically--termed a “high-tech lynching,” Thomas has been confirmed by the Senate. Now he must confirm for all to see, in word and deed, that he is a judge with true judicial temperament--and not a narrowed man consumed with vengeance and anger for the ordeal that he feels he was unjustly forced to endure.

And with his brief but effective statement Tuesday, Supreme Court Justice-designate Thomas has made a good start. His call to put aside the “anger, animus or animosity” and begin “the healing” was on the mark. He needs to further convince the nation that he bears no grudges toward those who opposed him and feels no sense of undue indebtedness to those who supported him.

After all, he is going to the court not to settle scores but to settle the law.

Thomas will need to assure Americans that his rulings on sensitive cases are derived from a clear and compassionate reading of the Constitution and the law--and nothing else. For Thomas will be sworn in by President Bush as the court prepares to rule on a number of sensitive cases.

Many civil rights groups have been deeply suspicious of Thomas. They will be watching him and the court closely when, for instance, United States vs. Mabus is decided. This could be a landmark case in the history of desegregation in higher education. Mississippi is being sued, in effect, for allegedly continuing to permit a dual school system--one for blacks, one for whites.

Women’s groups, of course, will be watching Thomas very closely. One key case coming before the court is Franklin vs. Gwinnett County Public Schools. Here the court is being asked to decide whether monetary damages should be awarded in a sexual abuse case--and one in which a severe form of sexual harassment was proved.

All eyes are on Thomas. Will he be able to put a damper on his anger so that we can be assured of an open mind and sense of fairness as each case comes before him? Or will he hold grudges against individuals and organizations that opposed him? His demeanor was not encouraging Friday. It was more encouraging Tuesday. Let’s hope that Tuesday showed the Thomas we will see on the high court.