Clarence Thomas did not care for Thurgood Marshall, both personally and professionally. While their backgrounds were similar—both Black men who grew up in the segregated South and rose to the Supreme Court—their judicial and political philosophies were entirely opposite.
President George H.W. Bush nominated Clarence Thomas to fill Thurgood Marshall’s seat in 1991. Marshall was highly disappointed by this, famously stating that Bush should just go ahead and pick the “wrong” person.
As a justice, Thomas actively worked to dismantle or reverse many of Marshall’s most significant civil rights accomplishments. While Marshall viewed the Constitution as a flexible, evolving document that could be used to protect the powerless and advance equality, Thomas approaches it through strict originalism and frequently advocates for “colorblind” legal doctrines that dismantle race-conscious policies.
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