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United States Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas poses for an official portrait at the East Conference Room of the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 7, 2022. (Alex Wong / Getty Images)

Clarence Thomas Unexpectedly Absent for Supreme Court Oral Arguments

By Johnathan Jones April 15, 2024 at 12:38pm

Associate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was not present on Monday for oral arguments for two cases on the docket.

NBC News reported no explanation was offered for the jurist’s absence. Chief Justice John Roberts issued a succinct statement in which he told the media that Thomas “is not on the bench today.”

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas did not attend oral arguments on Monday, but the court did not give a reason for his absence. https://t.co/8nvLVXc44a

— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 15, 2024

Roberts added the most-tenured judge on the court would still “participate fully” in both cases, but he did not offer any further information.

It was unclear if Thomas, 75, would be working remotely or if he would return to work in person on Tuesday.

According to Axios, the court is currently hearing arguments for two cases — one of which is related to an anti-bribery statute in Snyder v. United States.

The other case, Chiaverini v. City of Napoleon, Ohio, is a Fourth Amendment case

Thomas missed several days in March 2022 after he was hospitalized for an infection, Reuters reported at the time.

Is Clarence Thomas a good Supreme Court Justice?

In that instance, the court offered an explanation for his absence.

Likewise, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch missed a day last February when the court told NBC News the judge was feeling “under the weather.”

When pressed for comment about Thomas’ unexplained day off on Monday, a representative for the court declined to comment.

As the Associated Press noted, it is common for the court to offer a reason for the absence of a justice but not unheard of if no reason is given.

In the cases of Gorsuch and Thomas, neither of them missed any work during their sick days.

Mark Stern of Slate reported Thomas would not be phoning in on Monday, as he has been known to do during absences.

Context that may or may not be helpful: In the recent past, Justice Thomas phoned into oral arguments when he couldn’t attend in person, allowing him to ask questions remotely. He isn’t doing so this time. https://t.co/kUPPxP36RD

— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) April 15, 2024

Thomas has served on the court since 1991, when he was nominated by then-President George H.W. Bush and later confirmed by the Senate with staunch opposition from then-Delaware Sen. Joe Biden.

Thomas is a staunch conservative who makes up part of the court’s 6-3 conservative majority.

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