Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Thursday defended fellow Justice Clarence Thomas as someone who "cares about people" but "cares about legal issues differently than me."
Speaking at Chicago's Roosevelt University, Sotomayor, an Obama nominee, said she has probably disagreed with Thomas "more than any other justice," but the two have a friendship partly because he is someone "who cares deeply about the Court as an institution — about the people who work here."
She and Thomas share a "common understanding about people and kindness," she added.
"That's why I can be friends with him and still continue our daily battle over our differences of opinions in cases," she said. "You really can't begin to understand an adversary unless you step away from looking at their views as motivated in bad faith."
Thomas, the senior member of a group of conservative justices with the votes to control the court, has been criticized heavily for his decision to overturn Roe v. Wade's nationwide protection for abortion.
After 30 years on the court, his influence has never been greater, and yet he remains a lightning rod for controversy. That includes recent questions about his wife's role in attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election and his decision not to recuse himself from cases that involved it.
Thomas has said nothing in response to the criticism, and he could still serve another decade or more, racking up additional victories with a court that has become more conservative.
Sotomayor said she tries to "look for the things" that other justices "do are good."
"He cares about legal issues differently than me," she said. "Clarence, who grew up very poor, believes that everyone is capable of pulling themselves up by their bootstraps.
"I believe not everyone can reach their bootstraps."
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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