Clarence Thomas says judges wading into politics are 'asking for trouble'

Clarence Thomas says judges wading into politics are 'asking for trouble'
Clarence Thomas says judges wading into politics are 'asking for trouble'

Justice Clarence Thomas hit back against recent politicization of the Supreme Court by politicians and the media, adding that the high court has become the 'most dangerous branch' of government.

'The court was thought to be the least dangerous branch and we may have become the most dangerous,' Thomas said. 'And I think that's problematic.'

Thomas, the court's most senior member who was nominated by George H.W. Bush, gave a rare public address at Notre Dame University. 

He said that justices do not rule on their 'personal preferences' and the country's leaders 'should not allow others to manipulate our institutions when we don't get the outcome that we like.' 

Thomas, 73, said of judges: 'When we begin to venture into the legislative or executive branch lanes, those of us, particularly in the federal judiciary with lifetime appointments, are asking for trouble.'

'I think the media makes it sound as though you are just always going right to your personal preference. So if they think you are antiabortion or something personally, they think that's the way you always will come out,' the justice said, per the Washington Post. 'They think you're for this or for that. They think you become like a politician.'  

'That's a problem. You're going to jeopardize any faith in the legal institutions.'

Thomas, himself a Catholic, was asked at the Catholic university whether his faith had ever conflicted with his legal rulings. 

'There are some things that conflict very strongly with my personal opinion, my policy preferences, and those were very, very hard, particularly early on.'

'I don't do a lot of hand wringing in my opinions and tell people, 'oh, I'm really sad.' That's not the role of a judge. You do your job and you go cry alone.'

'I think we should be careful destroying our institutions because

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