Clarence Thomas (73) has been a justice on the US Supreme Court since 1991.
(dpa) Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is in the hospital. The US Supreme Court announced on Sunday evening (local time) that the 73-year-old had been taken to a hospital in the capital Washington on Friday with “flu-like symptoms”. After an infection was diagnosed, he was treated with intravenous antibiotics. “His symptoms are subsiding, he is resting and is expected to be discharged from the hospital in a day or two.” The Supreme Court did not provide any further information about the illness of the judge. The statement said Thomas would participate in hearing all cases based on briefs, transcripts and audio recordings in his absence.
Thomas is counted among the conservative majority on the US Supreme Court, which he has served on since 1991. He was nominated by then-Republican US President George HW Bush and is the only African American among the nine Supreme Court justices. Liberal judge Stephen Breyer (83) announced his resignation in January. US President Joe Biden now has his first chance to fill a post on the Supreme Court. His nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson is due to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee beginning Monday. The Senate must approve the personnel.
If the 51-year-old lawyer is confirmed, it would be the first black woman to become a Supreme Court judge in the United States. Their confirmation would not change the conservative majority on the court, but would be of great political importance. Justices of the Supreme Court are appointed for life. Their selection is a highly competitive political process. With its decisions on particularly controversial issues such as abortion, immigration or same-sex marriages, the Supreme Court repeatedly sets the course for society in the USA.