Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas may soon be in the running for a statue after top Republicans in the Georgia state Senate announced plans to revive a proposal to memorialize him on the grounds of the state Capitol.
Efforts to create a statue honoring the first black Supreme Court justice from Georgia passed the state Senate by a party-line vote last year, but the measure did not have a vote in the state House before the legislature’s term ended.
GOP state Sens. Jason Anavitarte and Ben Watson revived the bill this week despite some worries raised last year by lawmakers across the political aisle.
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Watson expressed confidence in the bill’s passing, saying in a statement to the Washington Examiner, “I think we’ll get it done this year.” He also said no taxpayer spending would fund the project, noting the bill would create a monument committee to handle the design and fundraising through private donations. The lawmaker proposed the bill in part because he represents a portion of Georgia where Thomas was born, which is a small town known as Pin Point.
When the Georgia Senate approved the version of the statue measure last year, it faced stiff criticism from some Democrats who argued a memorial for Thomas should be erected post-retirement and others who said some of his opinions, such as opposition to affirmative action, made the statue efforts more problematic.
For example, state Sen. Emanuel Jones (D) said he could respect Thomas’s achievements but called his jurisprudence and viewpoints offensive. “We can’t whitewash history,” he added, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Anavitarte has defended building a statue of Thomas due to the justice’s life-long resilience that led him to the Supreme Court, saying Thomas “was determined not to allow his environment or the challenges the world imposed on him or his financial circumstances to dictate his American dream. That determination and resolve is worthy of recognition in the Capitol.”
Some Democrats also mentioned Thomas’s wife, attorney and conservative activist Ginni Thomas, might complicate efforts to make a statue. They’ve raised concerns about conversations she had with former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to encourage him to continue former President Donald Trump’s efforts to challenge the 2020 election results.
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Former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R), who lost her bid for reelection in 2020, tweeted on Thursday that “it’s not controversial” to honor Clarence Thomas’s legacy and history in Georgia.
“Justice Thomas deserves a statue at our state capitol!” she said.
The Washington Examiner contacted the Supreme Court for response.
