‘It was clear he was unhappy’: Top takeaways from report on Justice Thomas’ early 2000s salary complaints and how a GOP congressman tried to solve his problem – By Elura Nanos (Law & Crime) / Dec 18, 2023
Clarence Thomas told a Republican congressman back in 2000 that members of the nine might walk away from their jobs at the Supreme Court if they were not given a major raise, according to ProPublica’s latest story on the conservative justice.
While the congressman seems to have put a plan into action at the time, it was to no avail. Here are some major takeaways from the article, much of which appears to have been based on documents drafted at the time Thomas spoke with the legislator.
1. Thomas reportedly told a Republican congressman that if the justices’ salaries were not raised, “one or more” of the justices would resign
Clifford “Cliff” Stearns served as the U.S. representative for Florida’s 6th congressional district from 1989 to 2013 until he lost the 2012 election to Ron DeSantis (R), now the governor of the Sunshine State. According to ProPublica, Thomas and Stearns sat next to each other on the flight home from an “off the record” conservative conference held at a luxury resort in Georgia in 2000. The conference, called “Awakening,” was billed as a “conservative thought weekend” that featured golf, shooting lessons, dancing, and aromatherapy along with panel discussions with businessmen and elected officials. Other speakers included former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R), and radio host Laura Schlessinger.
