photo courtesy of AP
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas will not return to his teaching job of over ten years at George Washington University Law School this upcoming semester. The news was announced in an email and a series of announcements on July 27.
The initial email, reported by the GWHatchet, said, “Unfortunately, I am writing with some sad news: Justice Thomas has informed me that he is unavailable to co-teach the seminar this fall. I know that this is disappointing. I am very sorry.”
Gregory Maggs, a professor co-teaching a constitutional law seminar with Thomas, wrote.
Maggs continued, “The seminar has not been canceled, but I will now be the sole instructor. For those of you still interested in taking the course, I assure you that we will make the best of the new situation.”
A spokesperson then came out later that afternoon that confirmed what was written in the email.
Despite the implication that it was an amicable split based on mutual feelings, the announcements dropped just a month after students at George Washington created an online petition to ask the University to terminate Thomas for his vote to overturn Roe v. Wade.
The petition read, “With the recent Supreme Court decision that has stripped the right to bodily autonomy of people with wombs, and with his explicit intention to further strip the rights of queer people and remove the ability for people to practice safe sex without fear of pregnancy, it is evident that the employment of Clarence Thomas at George Washington University is completely unacceptable.”
George Washington student John Kay added, “While also factoring in his wife’s part in the attempted coup in January of 2021, Judge Thomas is actively making life unsafe for thousands of students on our campus (not to mention thousands of campuses across the country). Make your voice heard and help us kick Clarence Thomas out of Foggy Bottom.”
Thomas came under fire for implying the courts should reconsider other cases past Roe vs. Wade using substantive due process.
Initially, the University Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs released a note saying they would not be cutting off their relationship with the Supreme Court magistrate.
“Because we steadfastly support the robust exchange of ideas and deliberation, and because the debate is an essential part of our university’s academic and educational mission to train future leaders who are prepared to address the world’s most urgent problems, the university will neither terminate Justices Thomas’ employment nor cancel his class in response to his legal opinions,” the note read.
Regardless of the note, just a month later, students believe that the petition with over 11,000 signatures led to Thomas’ removal.
Not all students were happy about the decision, though. It has been reported that campus Republicans disagree with the contents of the petition and the removal of Thomas.
The Campus Republican said in a statement to Campus Reform, “One of the principal assets of our school is learning from figures across the ideological spectrum,” They argued. “While many students at GW are displeased with his rulings on particular cases, the free exchange of ideas and opinions should be valued – not discouraged – at an institution of higher learning like ours,” the statement explained. “Removing Justice Thomas from the university will do the greatest disservice to those most fervently propagating this petition.”