Clarence Thomas at a glance
- Current role
- Associate Justice
- Court
- Supreme Court of the United States
- Jurisdiction
- National federal courts · Federal
- Judicial service
- October 18, 1991–present
Clarence Thomas
Associate Justice · Supreme Court of the United States
Available research
Biography
Professional career
- Chairman, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 1982-1990
- Assistant secretary for civil rights, U.S. Department of Education, 1981-1982
- Legislative assistant, U.S. Sen. John C. Danforth, MO, 1979-1981
- Attorney, Monsanto Company, St. Louis, MO, 1977-1979
- Assistant attorney general, Jefferson City, MO, 1974-1977
Judicial service
- Judge, District Court, District of Columbia, 1990-1991
- Judge, Supreme Court of the United States, 1991-present
- Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
- Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Education
- College of the Holy Cross · B.A., 1971
- Yale University · J.D., 1974
- Conception Abbey
- Saint Louis University School of Law
- St. Pius X Catholic High School
Personal record
Born June 23, 1948 · Savannah, GA
Courtroom rules and guidance
Courtroom Address
Wait at the lectern until recognized, open with the court's prescribed salutation, do not introduce counsel, address the Chief Justice with the specified title, and address other Justices as Justice [name] or Your Honor, not Judge.
Others are referred to as "Justice Thomas," "Justice Kagan," or "Your Honor." Do not use the title "Judge."Guide for Counsel in Cases to be Argued, October Term 2024 ↗
Argument Time
Argument is normally scheduled for 30 minutes, but counsel need not use all allotted time.
Your argument time is normally scheduled for 30 minutes (Rule 28.3). You need not use all your time.Guide for Counsel in Cases to be Argued, October Term 2024 ↗
Time Signal
When the red light comes on, finish answering the pending question but do not present a summation.
When the red light comes on, counsel may finish responding to a question that is pending, but should not present a summation.Guide for Counsel in Cases to be Argued, October Term 2024 ↗
Prepared Script
Speak clearly into the microphone, do not read from a prepared script, and do not use rapid-fire delivery to stretch argument time.
Under no circumstances should you read your argument from a prepared script. You should not attempt to enhance your argument time by a rapid fire delivery.Guide for Counsel in Cases to be Argued, October Term 2024 ↗
Justice Questions
Never interrupt a Justice. If interrupted, stop speaking immediately, listen, and give that Justice full attention.
Never interrupt a Justice who is addressing you. Give your full time and attention to that Justice.Guide for Counsel in Cases to be Argued, October Term 2024 ↗
Direct Answers
Answer questions directly, use yes or no when possible before explaining, and say so if you do not know the answer.
Make every effort to answer questions directly. If at all possible, say "yes" or "no," and then expand upon your answer if you wish. If you do not know the answer, say so.Guide for Counsel in Cases to be Argued, October Term 2024 ↗
Sources
Supreme Court of the United States current members
Identity source · HTML · checked July 29, 2026
https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/biographies.aspxCourtListener judicial biographical directory
Identity source · HTML · checked June 30, 2026
https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3200/clarence-thomas/Guide for Counsel in Cases to be Argued, October Term 2024
Judge research source · PDF · checked July 30, 2026
https://www.supremecourt.gov/casehand/Guide%20for%20Counsel%202024.pdf