WASHINGTON — U. S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas joked Monday about the stresses of the job on the nation’s high court. Justice Thomas also questioned the validity of people saying he might retire soon.
“I have no idea where this stuff comes from,” Thomas said to philanthropist David Rubenstein at a lecture hosted by the Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, D.C.
Rubenstein had asked Justice Thomas where rumors that he might be retiring in June were coming from.
“One of those things you have to get used to in this business — in here — is that people can say things about you and for you that have nothing to do with you,” Thomas said.
Thomas, 70, was appointed to the court by President George H.W. Bush in 1991. But in recent months, there have been rumors that he might be retiring from the court soon, considering that Thomas is the longest-serving member of the court.
He also denied rumors of his retirement at Pepperdine University Law School at the beginning of last April. He said, “I’m not retiring,” in response to a hypothetical question posed by the university’s president-elect James Gash.
When asked by Rubenstein what the justice did for rest or relaxation outside of the Court, he replied, “I really don’t have a lot of stress. I cause stress.
A devout Catholic, Justice Thomas said he attends mass, read, spent time with his wife, and watched sports.
“I love my Nebraska Cornhuskers. Any sport, preferably volleyball,” he explained
