I clerked for Justice Thomas in 2007-2008, and he remains one of the most important role models and mentors in my life. He treated all of his clerks with the utmost respect, the women no less than the men. Knowing that I was pregnant when I interviewed for the job, he even allowed me to defer my clerkship for a year to allow me to spend more time with my daughter while she was still a baby. I know of no other Justice who has shown that level of care and flexibility to support their women clerks. His integrity and high ethical standards are clear in every area of his work – from his unflinching commitment to carrying out his oath of office, to his loyalty to his friends and colleagues, to his generosity in giving his time to advise and mentor young people, and especially those whose struggles to overcome poverty mirrored his own.
So I was shocked when I heard that the National Law Journal is reporting allegations of seventeen-year-old misconduct this week. The alleged conduct bears no resemblance to the man I worked closely with, whom I still count a friend after nearly ten years. These implausible allegations come from a partisan Democrat who is married to a partisan Democrat who previously withdrew from a political race after his own campaign was mired in allegations of dirty tricks. I give them no credit whatsoever.
Liberals claim to be big fans of open-mindedness, due process and racial equality. But they do that only until it comes to the longest serving African American justice on the Supreme Court, for whom they are willing to discard all of those lofty pretensions. Those of us who have known the Justice or worked with him in any capacity, by contrast, including those who disagree with him, recognize him to be a good and honest man. I look forward to the day when the Left has had enough of trying to destroy this worthy and admirable man.
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