Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, 75, is mysteriously absent from oral arguments but plans to ‘fully participate’ in decisions
- The Supreme Court gave no reason for the judge’s absence
- The country’s highest court met for oral arguments on Monday
Conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was not in the courtroom for oral arguments Monday and the court gave no reason for his absence.
Chief Justice John Roberts said Thomas “is not on the bench today” in court, but that he would “fully participate” in two cases being argued from the documents and transcripts.
The Supreme Court did not respond to DailyMail.com’s request for additional information about his absence.
On Monday, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in two cases. Thomas did not even remotely participate in oral arguments, as judges have sometimes done when they could not be in court in person.
The court has sometimes said in the past that a judge was ill, but not always.
Thomas was admitted to hospital two years ago with an infection that also forced him to miss several hearings.
Judge Thomas, 75, is one of nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court and has served on the nation’s highest court since 1991, making him currently the longest-serving justice on the court.
The Supreme Court has a 6-3 conservative majority.
Conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, 75, was absent from court Monday
Judge Thomas is one of nine members of the Supreme Court, which currently has a 6-3 conservative majority
Of the two cases heard Monday, the first involved a payment made to a former mayor of Portage, Indiana by a city contractor and whether that payment violated a federal anti-corruption statute.
The second case involved a jewelry store manager in Ohio who sued police, claiming officers had no probable cause to arrest him on money laundering charges.