Rep. Buddy Carter Re-Introduces Legislation to Honor Justice Thomas
Rep. Buddy Carter (R, GA-1) has re-introduced legislation with Rep. Pete Sessions, Chairman of the House Committee on Rules, to recognize “the historical importance of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and calling on the National Museum of African American History and Culture to appropriately honor his life and work.”
Rep. Carter:
“I am proud to reintroduce this legislation today because the Smithsonian still has not acted to properly share Justice Thomas’ remarkable story and critical contributions to our judicial system. Justice Thomas’ contributions to our nation, his unique life story, and strongly held convictions should be preserved in the National Museum of African American History and Culture and this failure to do so is a disservice to his legacy and to the history of this nation. His story is too important not to share with current and future generations, and I won’t stop this fight until the Smithsonian properly recognizes this critical part of our nation’s history.”
Chairman Sessions:
“The sole sentence in the new National Museum of African American History and Culture recognizing the accomplishments of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is a disservice to history. Justice Thomas’ story epitomizes the American Dream and is a reminder that in America anything is possible no matter what. His vast contributions to our great nation should be honored and celebrated, not hidden in a few words that make no mention of the depth and breadth of his accomplishments. I believe this is an important part of our nation’s history and will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress and the Smithsonian Institution to ensure Clarence Thomas receives the recognition that he deserves.”
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Is it common for there to be a huge among of to do for the second person to do something? Justice Thomas is a perfectly fine jurist, but he’s no Thurgood Marshall in terms of either SCOTUS (First African-American Justice) or pre-SCOTUS Career (arguing Brown v. Board, among other integration cases that he led for the NAACP; Justice Thomas had some appellate judging and executive branch roles, but made no real impact as a private attorney). Like, I can’t imagine, say, the second black guy to be the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs would have as much of an exhibit at the museum as Colin Powell either, and Justice Marshall would have been worthy of honor in the museum even if he was never appointed to the bench.
The larger problem is the Smithsonian should be making these decisions, not some local pol.
And whatever happened to posthumous honors after a decent time period for the scandals (if any) to emerge?