I am a person who has carefully followed Justice Thomas’ history and read his biography. I find Thomas to be the most lucid, most original and most impressive Supreme Court Justice.
I am supported in this position my his ruling on gun control in the Washington DC case.
He introduced into the discussion of the Second Amendment the idea that it could be applied to individuals rather than just to a national or federal right. He made use of the 14th amendment.
The Fourteenth Amendment does not restrict its coverage only to federal legislation and rights before the federal government. It creates rights applicable to individuals. It is this brilliant insight that commends JusticeThomas' originality and deep intelligence.
Of course he was thinking about the fact that blacks have long had burning crosses put in their front yards and that they needed weapons to defend their lives in these circumstances. Nevertheless his intelligence has shaped the future of the Supreme Court.
With Thomas on the Court, from now on it will be important to think of the Bill of Rights as applying to individuals well beyond the federal level. Thanks.