He faced a nasty confirmation fight and barely made it to the Supreme Court on a 52-48 vote, but Justice Clarence Thomas will get the last laugh as he closes in on breaking the record on years served.

According to an actuarial report on the high court, Thomas, 68, would be the first to serve more than 40 years if he stays on the court until he’s 83, breaking the 36-year record of Justice William O. Douglas, the famed Franklin D. Roosevelt pick.