Democrats and leftists have been railing against the Supreme Court for its recent decisions on the Second Amendment, school choice, religious freedom and especially abortion.
And Justice Clarence Thomas has repeatedly been the biggest target of the court's critics, possibly because he's the court's sole African American and arguably its most conservative jurist.
Although the left denounced all the court's major rulings, its greatest wrath was reserved for Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which struck down Roe v. Wade after nearly 50 years.
And Dumisani Washington, the founder and CEO of the Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel, observed that Thomas' critics often used racial slurs in doing so.
"Six Justices decided to overturn Roe v. Wade, but you'd swear that Clarence Thomas did it single-handedly as countless racists hurl slur after slur at him," Washington said. "We see you. We've always seen you."
But perhaps the worst were those who didn't resort to gutter-language — people like former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
She appeared on "CBS Mornings" with co-host Gayle King yesterday, and said she knew Thomas well as a former Yale Law School classmate.
"I went to law school with [Justice Thomas]. He's been a person of grievance for as long as I have known him — resentment, grievance, anger," she said. "Women are going to die, Gayle. Women will die."
First of all, Clinton was a year ahead of Thomas, so it's doubtful that they even shared any classes. Secondly, no one will die because of the Dobbs decision. Even states that ban abortions make exceptions to save the life of the mother. It's a matter of well-established medical practice.
Bryan Griffin, deputy press secretary to Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, called Clinton's assessment of Thomas "offensive, disgusting, and false," and countered it with a touching anecdote.
He recalled that seven years ago after he'd passed the bar, "I stopped [Justice Thomas] in a lobby in D.C. and asked him if he would do me the honor of swearing me in as a lawyer."
He could have said no. Thomas was a well-known Supreme Court justice; Griffin was a snotty-nosed kid fresh out of law school. But he agreed, and it was no rushed ceremony.
"He invited me to his office at the [Supreme Court] the next day, [after work] and spent hours with me in conversation, earnestly affording me his time and encouraging me. A friend and a law professor accompanied me."
Griffin attached a photo of his swearing-in ceremony as proof, and continued with his story.
"He showed us pictures from his latest vacation with his wife and fondly spoke of the love he has for her," he said. "We discussed America, and from everything he said it was clear he loves this country and the people in it."
And lest anyone assume Griffin was somehow connected, he added, "He did not know me or owe me anything. But he afforded me incredible kindness. I am certain he extends the same to others."
And Michael Pack, who co-authored the recently-released book, "Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words," can attest to Thomas' willingness to freely give his time.
Both the book and a previously-released documentary film of the same name that Pack produced and directed were the result of more than 30 hours of interviews. Pack told Newsmax, "That's the longest interview any Supreme Court justice has ever sat for. Ever."
Thomas was born into poverty, eventually raised by his maternal grandfather, and schooled by Irish Catholic nuns. All of them "gave him hard work, discipline, and a rigorous curriculum," which shaped his life.
His interest in others is also confirmed by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a liberal-leaning jurist nominated by Democrat President Barack Obama.
"I suspect that I have probably disagreed with him more than any other justice," Sotomayor said June 17. "And yet Justice Thomas is the one justice in the building that literally knows every employee's name — every one of them. ... He is a man who cares deeply about the court as an institution, about the people who work there — about people."
Griffin concluded his own anecdote with an appraisal of Clinton.
"To lie about the man because you do not agree with him is wrong, and people can plainly see it as desperate attack for cheap likes," he said. "[Thomas] is neither angry nor resentful, and this is abundantly clear to anyone who has interacted with him in person."
As Winston Churchill observed, "You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life."
You can judge a person not only by his friends but also by his enemies. Clinton is petty, mean-spirited and vindictive; Thomas is the polar opposite.
He's a national treasure that we should cherish. He won't be with us forever.
Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to BizPac Review and Liberty Unyielding. He is also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and an enthusiastic Second Amendment supporter who can often be found honing his skills at the range. Read Dorstewitz's Reports — More Here.
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