Clarence Thomas hit the milestone on Thursday as the Supreme Court justice continued his long run on the court, becoming the second-longest serving in American history, according to the Associated Press. The report said Thomas reached the point of surpassing other justices on the seniority ladder while the court’s conservative bloc has taken on a greater profile in recent years.
Thomas has been on the bench since his 1991 confirmation following contentious hearings that included sexual harassment allegations involving Anita Hill, AP reported. More recently, AP said ethics questions have centered on Thomas accepting luxury trips from a GOP megadonor and the conservative political activism of his wife, including support for false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump. AP also reported that Thomas has said he was not required to disclose trips he took with friends and that he ignored calls to recuse himself from cases related to the 2020 election.
In AP’s account, Thomas’ influence has shifted in both visibility and reach. The report described how Thomas, who was previously quieter in oral arguments, has begun asking the first questions there and has written opinions that expanded Second Amendment rights. It also said Thomas did not respond to a request for comment on his tenure.
AP said Thomas is now part of a conservative supermajority, formed after Republican President Donald Trump nominated three conservative justices. The report said that bloc has overturned abortion as a constitutional right, ended affirmative action in college admissions, and sharply limited the Voting Rights Act—changes that have made Thomas’ role more central in the court’s direction, according to the Associated Press description.
Several legal scholars and court-related figures described the significance of Thomas’ seniority and legacy. AP reported that John Yoo, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, said, “I think he’s more energized and excited now than when I first met him,” adding that Yoo served in Republican President George W. Bush’s administration after his time as a Thomas clerk three decades ago. AP also reported that Pamela Karlan, a Stanford University law professor, said the court has “radically moved” in Thomas’ direction over the course of his time on the bench, and that Thomas’ seniority means he can decide who writes an opinion if he’s part of a majority that does not include Chief Justice John Roberts.
Beyond opinions, AP said Thomas’ influence extends through his network of former clerks, many of whom have gone on to serve in the Trump administration and increasingly in federal judgeships. AP quoted Sarah Konsky, director of the Supreme Court and Appellate Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School, saying, “That is an important legacy that he will leave,” and adding that “Even as justices’ own time on the court winds down, significant influence lives on through their clerks.”
AP also described that Thomas’ work in recent years included a 2022 opinion he wrote that found people generally have the right to carry a gun in public. It reported that, in a recent speech, Thomas tied the nation’s highest ideals to a conservative vision of limited government and delivered what critics described as a broadside on progressivism, which the report said drew a standing ovation at the University of Texas. Scott Gerber, the author of “First Principles: The Jurisprudence of Clarence Thomas,” told AP that Thomas’ jurisprudence has “changed little over the years” even as the majority moves his way, and he said Thomas has continued to write dissents that receive notice, while AP reported Gerber also observing that Thomas now writes majority opinions.
For Thomas, AP said 77 years of age and more than 34 years of tenure put him ahead of Justice Stephen J. Field on the seniority list, and behind only William O. Douglas, whose tenure remains longer. AP said Thomas would overtake Douglas in 2028 if he remains on the court.