Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is just the latest member of the bench to blame the media for the perceived politicization of the court, which he defended as nonpartisan while warning against "destroying our institutions because they don't give us what we want."
"I think the media makes it sound as though you are just always going right to your personal preference," Thomas said Thursday during a speech at the University of Notre Dame, according to The Washington Post.
"So if they think you are anti-abortion or something personally, they think that’s the way you always will come out. They think you’re for this or for that. They think you become like a politician," he continued. "That’s a problem. You’re going to jeopardize any faith in the legal institutions."
Thomas, a Catholic, noted that it is "not the role of a judge" to allow personal beliefs to influence legal decisions, saying that, in such instances, "you do your job and you go cry alone."
The H.W. Bush appointee also criticized some judges who are "venturing into areas we should not have entered into" for being part of the reason why the nomination process, particularly for federal judges with lifetime appointments, is so fraught.
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"The court was thought to be the least dangerous branch and we may have become the most dangerous," Thomas said. "And I think that’s problematic."
This comes after the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, elected not to block a Texas abortion law from taking effect earlier this month. Pro-choice advocates have expressed concern that this decision could lead to Roe v. Wade being overturned.
Thomas has previously asked the court to overturn the 1973 landmark ruling that made abortion legal throughout the country.
Last weekend, Justice Amy Coney Barrett said that the high court is not "comprised of a bunch of partisan hacks" and that the media is responsible for making judicial decisions "seem results-oriented."
"Sometimes, I don't like the results of my decisions," she said. "But it's not my job to decide cases based on the outcome I want."
Justice Stephen Breyer also recently said that members of the Supreme Court were not "junior league" politicians.
