The Inscrutable Clarence Thomas: 10 Years Of Silence

Barring an unlikely burst of wordy curiosity, sometime this month the Supreme Court will celebrate an unusual anniversary: the tenth year that Justice Clarence Thomas has gone without asking a question from the bench. (He did speak during oral arguments three years ago, but merely to crack a joke.) It has been at least 45 years since any other member of the Court went even one year without asking a question, Adam Liptak writes in the New York Times. Thomas has said he does not feel that asking questions during oral arguments is helpful. “I think we should listen to lawyers who are arguing their cases, and I think we should allow the advocates to advocate,” he said at the Harvard Law School in 2013. In 2000, Thomas told a bar group, “We look like the ‘Family Feud.’” He does speak from the bench, however, to announce his majority opinions.