Clarence Thomas

Clarence Thomas (born June 23, 1948) is an American judge and jurist who currently serves as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President George H. W. Bush in 1991 to succeed Thurgood Marshall and took his seat October 23, 1991. Since joining the court he has been a strong conservative voice, often voting with fellow conservatives Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito while dissenting from decisions made by Chief Justice John Roberts or Anthony Kennedy on cases involving social issues such as abortion or gay rights.

Thomas received both his Bachelor’s degree in 1971 and Juris Doctor degree in 1974 from Yale Law School after graduating from Holy Cross College earlier that same year; during this time he also worked for Missouri Senator John Danforth as a legislative assistant before becoming a lawyer at Monsanto Corporation shortly thereafter.. After leaving private practice to become Assistant Attorney General under President Reagan’s administration, Thomas then became Chairman of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under George H W Bush’s presidency until being nominated to serve on Supreme Court where he remains today .

During confirmation hearings for his nomination many controversies arose surrounding allegations about sexual harassment which had previously been brought against him however ultimately failed due accusations lacking concrete evidence resulting in Senate confirming him 52-48 vote margin making him second African American justice ever appointed Supreme Court following Thurgood Marshall As associate justice Clarence Thomas’ opinions generally reflect originalism & textualism approach constitutional interpretation focusing more literal meaning text within constitution than broader implications throughout society commonly found amongst liberal justices decision making processes .. In recent years these two approaches have gained increasing acceptance amongst public legal scholars alike allowing Justice Thomas establish himself leader new wave judicial thought . His most notable opinion came when invalidating key provisions Voting Rights Act holding federal government lacked power imposing preclearance regulations states based past conduct deemed unconstitutional because no evidence indicating current likelihood violation law