Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said his views on race and politics have led critics to question his Blackness."I mean, how stupid is that? Look at me," Thomas said, grabbing his arm."You know, then they say things like, ‘Oh, black is a state of mind.’"Thomas made the remarks during a Hoover Institution conversation with Peter Robinson that included a discussion about the role of Black Americans in politics.
The conservative justice reflected on how economist Thomas Sowell, a Black conservative, helped transform his thinking on race and politics and gave him the confidence to challenge prevailing expectations about Black Americans' political views.CLARENCE THOMAS WARNS AMERICA: LIBERTY DIES WHEN WE CHOOSE COMFORT OVER COURAGEU.S.Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas speaks during a special lecture celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Hogg Memorial Auditorium at the University of Texas on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.
(Jay Janner/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images))Thomas said that as a young man, he felt pressure to embrace certain political beliefs because he was Black and faced resistance when he began questioning them."You have these views, you have these instincts, but you are getting inputs from the media, from the politicians, the people who have the megaphone, the people who have the loudest voices, that tells you you’re wrong, that tells you you’re bad, that there’s something awful about you," Thomas said.While at Yale Law School, Thomas said he bucked the push for school busing, questioning why Black families would want their children sent across town to unfamiliar schools and neighborhoods."I remember saying those things at Yale and people — the bottom line was, well, you shouldn’t believe that because you’re black," Thomas said.KEY TRUMP AGENCY PUTS TOP UNIVERSITIES IN CROSSHAIRS OVER ALLEGED RACE-BASED DORM PROGRAMSThomas argued there was often a disconnect between positio...