Thomas, the most senior justice on the nine-member court, revealed he constantly worries about the long-term repercussions of trends such as “cancel culture” and a lack of civil debate.
“You can cavalierly talk about packing or stacking the court. You can cavalierly talk about doing this or doing that. At some point the institution is going to be compromised,” he told an audience of almost 500 people at an upscale hotel in Salt Lake City.
"By doing this, you continue to chip away at the respect of the institutions that the next generation is going to need if they’re going to have civil society," Thomas pressed.
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Rulings for the upcoming year are due to set laws on hot-button political issues, including abortion, guns and voting rights.
The court has leaned increasingly conservative since three justices nominated by former President Donald Trump joined its ranks. Progressives have in turn called to expand the number of justices on the court, also throughout the 2020 presidential primary. Democrats in Congress introduced a bill last year to add four justices to the bench, and President Joe Biden has convened a commission to study expanding the court.
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“I’m afraid, particularly in this world of culture attack, I don’t know where you’re going to learn to engage as we did when I grew up,” he stated. “If you don’t learn at that level in high school, in grammar school, in your neighborhood, or in civic organizations, then how do you have it when you’re making decisions in government, in the legislature, or in the courts?”
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In addition to condemning “cancel culture,” Thomas also blasted the media for cultivating inaccurate impressions about public figures — including himself, his wife and late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
Justice Thomas’s wife and a longtime conservative activist, Ginni Thomas has faced backlash this year for her political activity and involvement in groups that file briefs about cases in front of the Supreme Court.
As Congress prepares to hold confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, Thomas recalled his 1991 confirmation process as a humiliating and embarrassing experience that taught him not to be overly prideful. During congressional hearings, lawmakers grilled Thomas about sexual harassment allegations from Anita Hill, a former employee, leading him to describe the experience as a “high tech lynching.”
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