Justice Clarence Thomas on Monday brushed off rumors he would retire from the Supreme Court this summer, saying he has “no idea” where such talk originated.
The 70-year-old Thomas is the longest-serving member of the high court and the anchor of its conservative bloc. Stepping down from the Supreme Court would allow President Trump to fill his seat with another conservative justice.
But Thomas said he first heard the buzz regarding his future on the bench from his wife, Ginni Thomas.
“I have no idea where this stuff comes from,” Thomas said during an event sponsored by the Supreme Court Historical Society. “One of the things you have to get used to in this business, in here, is that people can say things about you and for you that have nothing to do with you.”
Thomas recalled his wife, who “gets these alerts,” telling him that he was going to retire.
“I said, ‘Wow — glad to know that,’” Thomas recalled. “I mean, you have to know every day what’s on your schedule.”
When asked whether he believed it was his friends or enemies circulating retirement rumors, Thomas joked, “I think people just wanted me to know what I was going to do, since I couldn’t figure it out myself.”
“I enjoy being here,” he said. “I enjoy my work.”
Thomas was also asked about what he does to relieve stress, to which he replied, “I really don’t have a lot of stress. I cause stress.”
Nominated to the Supreme Court by President George H.W. Bush, Thomas has served on the high court since 1991.
Thomas was asked in April during an event at Pepperdine University whether he intended to leave the Supreme Court. His response was unequivocal. “I’m not retiring,” he said.
