Georgia Senate approves Capitol statue for Justice Clarence Thomas

ATLANTA - In a party-line vote, the Georgia State Senate approved a bill Monday paving the way for a statue of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to go up at the state Capitol.

Thomas is from Pinpoint, Georgia, and has served on the Supreme Court for more than 30 years.  

"Justice Thomas has served all of America and all of Georgia no matter your race, your gender, your community or your culture," said state Sen. Jason Anavitarte, R-Dallas, the bill's primary sponsor.

Democrats, however, opposed the idea. They argued that the state does not usually erect statues for people still serving.

"There may be years ahead for Justice Thomas," said state Sen. Nan Orrock, D-Atlanta.  "None of us know what the future holds and that's why the wisdom of not elevating and naming things and setting up statues prior to a person's conclusion of their public service."  

Justice Thomas, some pointed out, is also a polarizing figure. During his nomination hearing in 1991, Anita Hill testified that Thomas had sexually harassed her. He has also been an outspoken critic of affirmative action.

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"I'm not saying I speak for every Black American, but I come from those families. I listen to the conversations. I think I have a pretty intimate knowledge and a grip on how we, Black people, as a collective feel about Justice Thomas," said state Sen. Nikki Merritt, D-Grayson. "It's not that we have a problem that he's a conservative or a Republican, we think he's a hypocrite and a traitor."  

Sen. Merritt pointed as well to the 2012 decision where Justice Thomas sided with the majority in striking down part of the Voting Rights Act.

"The Voting Rights Act of 1965, Black people bled, fought and went through everything to get the Voting Rights Act passed and here we have a Black man that took out a key provision," said Sen. Merritt.

Other lawmakers expressed concerns about the actions of Ginni Thomas, Justice Thomas' wife, who recently signed on to a letter critical of the committee investigating the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.  

"The story of Justice Thomas is a Georgia story, a story of who he is.  Not one Supreme Court decision he wrote on in 30 years up there, not allegations tossed at him at hearings over 30 years ago, not something maybe his wife may have said a couple years ago to somebody.  The story of Clarence Thomas is a story of [...] somebody that was homeless from an early age, was the first person in his family to go to college and then went on to go to Yale Law School," said state Sen. Brian Strickland, R-McDonough.  "That's the story of this guy.  It's a Georgia story and that story should be told now, not after he's gone."  

The measure passed 32 to 21 and now heads to the state House.  

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