Lawmakers: Senate votes for Justice Clarence Thomas monument on Day 18

Caption

An image from The Congress' Conversation with Justice Clarence Thomas

Credit: Library of Congress

The Georgia Senate passed a controversial bill to create a monument to Georgia native and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Day 18. Thomas was born in Savannah. 

Sen. Ben Watson (R – Savannah) sponsored the bill, Senate Bill 69. Watson spoke about Thomas’s achievements. He noted that Thomas worked hard to move from an impoverished childhood to the Supreme Court.  

"This native son of Georgia deserves a place of honor and recognition on our Capitol grounds, a place where future generations of Georgians can learn valuable lessons from his legacy and gain inspiration and the belief that their lofty dreams are attainable too in America, regardless of the circumstances in which they are born,” he said.  

Democrats rose in opposition to the bill, citing Thomas’s controversial Supreme Court decisions and sexual assault allegations. Some Democrats raised concerns about Thomas’ wife’s involvement in efforts to overturn the 2020 Presidential Election.

"She's made known effort to ensure that the President [Trump] stays in power despite a clear victory in democratic election of his opponent," Sen. Nikki Merritt of Atlanta said. "I would like to add that the election was deemed by independent sources to be the most secure in the nation's history. Our own Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger and Gov. Kemp were pressured by Mrs. Thomas' associates to overturn a free and fair election. Investigations are still ongoing. This is not the time to consider establishing a permanent monument to Justice Thomas."

In 2022, Ginni Thomas, Clarence Thomas’s wife, was interviewed by the U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack concerning her text messages with a lawyer pushing to overturn the results of the 2020 election. She condemned the violence at the U.S. Capitol during the January 6 riots but raised concerns over voter fraud.  

Republicans argued that Ginni Thomas’s controversy should not affect Justice Thomas’s legacy.  

Democrats introduced an amendment that would also create a monument for the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis, but before the vote, they withdrew it. 

SB 69 passed the Senate 32 to 20. The Senate passed a similar bill last session, but it did not pass the House before Sine Die.