Thomas Surprised by Isolation, Workload of Supreme Court

Clarence Thomas said Friday that he is somewhat surprised at the isolation and onerousness of his Supreme Court job.

The 44-year-old justice, who joined the court last fall, told a conference of judges and lawyers that he misses ducking out of his office for a lunchtime walk and to pick up cheese fries.

Judges are often isolated in their work, he said, but “the Supreme Court, much to my chagrin, is even more isolated.”

Thomas said he has answered nearly 20,000 letters from the public in the past year.

“The letters were encouraging and continue to be encouraging,” he said. “They were warm and supportive, and some were downright humorous. All of them have been appreciated.”

Thomas noted that the conference marked only the second time he and his wife, Virginia, have been away from Washington, D.C., since he joined the high court.

Thomas also said the court’s work was harder than he expected, but that he was grateful for the warmth of his fellow justices.

In his speech, Thomas made two references to the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings that were highlighted by law professor Anita Faye Hill’s accusations that he sexually harassed her. Standing at a table lined with microphones, he said the setup reminded him of the hearings.

“Needless to say, it was not the most enjoyable experience of my life,” he said. “But that’s then, and this is now.”

He also said he has often brought groups of children to meet with him at the court and is amused by the questions they ask, such as what kind of car he drives and what he thought while he was in the third grade.

“It sounded like a confirmation hearing,” Thomas said.