Mike
02-17-2011, 11:41 PM
It will be five years next week since Justice Clarence Thomas spoke during oral argument at the Supreme Court. Before falling into this long silence, he posed a question on Feb. 22, 2006. In the past 40 years, no other justice has gone an entire term without speaking at least once during arguments, according to Timothy R. Johnson, a professor of political science at the University of Minnesota.
Can a justice effectively perform his duties without participating in oral argument? Does questioning the lawyers in court make much difference, or is it mostly a ritual, with the justices' thinking pretty much set beforehand?http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/02/16/does-clarence-thomass-silence-matter
What do you think? Does it matter whether Justice Thomas speaks during oral argument? Does it indicate anything one way or another about him?
Can a justice effectively perform his duties without participating in oral argument? Does questioning the lawyers in court make much difference, or is it mostly a ritual, with the justices' thinking pretty much set beforehand?http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/02/16/does-clarence-thomass-silence-matter
What do you think? Does it matter whether Justice Thomas speaks during oral argument? Does it indicate anything one way or another about him?