Supreme Court Justice Thomas was rushed to the hospital and has remained there since Friday, according to the court.
At 73, Thomas ranks as the current court’s second-oldest justice, behind only the retiring Stephen Breyer.
“Justice Clarence Thomas was admitted to Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., on Friday evening after experiencing flu-like symptoms,” the court wrote in a press release on Sunday.
The court continued, “He underwent tests, was diagnosed with an infection, and is being treated with intravenous antibiotics. His symptoms are abating, he is resting comfortably, and he expects to be released from the hospital in a day or two.”
The court is closed on weekends, and it waited two days to announce Thomas’ hospitalization. The press release did not explain the delay, but it provided the phone number for the court’s public information officer.
The court is scheduled to hear arguments in four cases this week. Thomas plans to participate remotely, according to the press release.
“Justice Thomas will participate in the consideration and discussion of any cases for which he is not present on the basis of the briefs, transcripts, and audio of the oral arguments,” the court wrote.
Thomas has become known for his reluctance to participate in the court’s discussions. Since arriving on the court in 1990, he has remained quiet during most oral arguments.
In a 2006 profile, the legal commentator Jeffrey Toobin attributed Thomas’ silence to media scrutiny, frustration with the other justices’ long speeches, and a preference for listening over talking.
In the year 2000, Thomas told a student group that, as a kid, he had become self-conscious about speaking Gullah, a regional language from the lowlands of Georgia.
The court announced Thomas’ absence during a time of turnover for the court. A day after the announcement, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson began her confirmation hearing in the Senate. Last month Jackson became President Joe Biden’s pick to replace the retiring Breyer, a holdover from the Clinton administration.
Thomas has become known as a committed conservative. Even the other conservatives have sometimes refused to endorse Thomas’ written opinions, despite ruling with Thomas. In 1999 Thomas wrote the opinion of the 6-3 majority in Mitchell v. Helms, but he gained only four signatures. The other two justices in the majority attached their names to a concurring opinion written by former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, an appointee of Ronald Reagan.
Thomas is reported to be well-liked by his colleagues and their staffers… but some liberals have been celebrating Thomas’ illness.
“It would be incredibly awesome if he died,” tweeted Ed Burmila, an author and a former professor.
Take a look —
Before you say anything about Clarence Thomas’s illness, bear in mind that whether or not you agree with his politics he is a human being with feelings and loved ones and it would be incredibly awesome if he died.
— edburmila.bsky.social (@edburmila) March 21, 2022
I see the usual bad-faith freakouts, and if you’re tempted remember that when person devotes his life to making it easier for the powerful to hurt people without repercussions it’s OK to want bad things to happen to them, You don’t have to make a show of hoping they live longer.
— edburmila.bsky.social (@edburmila) March 21, 2022
making ginni thomas cry is a valid goal https://t.co/uaGa7pMY7n
— sexy train lenin stan 🫔🥐🍲 (@drea_carmen) March 21, 2022
The Horn editorial team