Apparently Justice Thomas Believes the Court Is No Place for Human Dignity
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas stated in his closing opinion on the marriage equality case that “slaves did not lose their dignity (any more than they lost their humanity) because the government allowed them to be enslaved.”
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. (Jessica Hill / AP)
After today’s long-overdue decision on marriage equality, the most scathing (and frankly, bizarre) response from the conservative right has come from Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. A textualist judge who doesn’t appear to understand the fundamental relationship between human equality and human dignity, Thomas stated in his closing opinion that “slaves did not lose their dignity (any more than they lost their humanity) because the government allowed them to be enslaved.”
It appears that Thomas’ dissent lies in the “unwarranted” correlation between the federal government’s granting of rights and an individual’s sense of dignity no matter the marginalized group. Apparently, as Thomas declared, “the government cannot bestow dignity, and it cannot take it away.”
The extremity of his position shows that the conservative claws are out. But instead of framing today’s ruling as outright blasphemy, most Republicans turned to an all too familiar argument — the sanctity of religious freedom:
The Nation reports:
“This decision will pave the way for an all out assault against the religious freedom rights of Christians who disagree with this decision,” squawked Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, who recently issued an executive order designed to shield business-owners who discriminate against same-sex couples. “The government should not force those who have sincerely held religious beliefs about marriage to participate in these ceremonies.”
Read more here.
–Posted by Rory Thost
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