Justice Clarence Thomas | U.S. Department of Agriculture/Wikimedia Commons
Justice Clarence Thomas | U.S. Department of Agriculture/Wikimedia Commons
The Georgia State Senate advanced a bill along party lines allowing a statue of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to be placed on state Capitol grounds.
Thomas, born in Pin Point, Georgia, was nominated to the Supreme Court by former President George H.W. Bush and confirmed in 1991. He succeeded Thurgood Marshall, becoming the second African American to serve on the court.
"Justice Thomas has served all of America and all of Georgia no matter your race, your gender, your community or your culture," state Sen. Jason Anavitarte, the primary sponsor of the bill, said during the Senate hearing.
The bill passed 32-21 along party lines, as Democrats voiced their opposition, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. They pointed out that Georgia normally does not put up statues of people still serving. They also questioned his commitment to civil rights, something Marshall trumpeted during his career as a lawyer and justice.
Thomas has been an outspoken critic of affirmative action and has been a polarizing figure since his nomination hearing, where Thomas was accused of sexually harassing Anita Hill, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
"I'm not saying I speak for every Black American, but I come from those families. I listen to the conversations," state Sen. Nikki Merritt said at the hearing. "I think I have a pretty intimate knowledge and a grip on how we, Black people, as a collective feel about Justice Thomas. 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."
The bill now sits in the Georgia House of Representatives for approval, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
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