Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was spotted Monday on Capitol Hill during a period when the high court is releasing a slate of opinions before heading on recess for the summer.
Thomas, surrounded by a Metropolitan Police Department officer and another man, was walking through the House side of the Capitol when asked by MS NOW's Mychael Schnell about his visit. The justice said he was meeting with "nobody" and declined to identify who he had met with, stating, "I'm not going to tell you about [that]." He also opted not to comment on pending cases before the court.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive critics have raised questions about transparency surrounding Thomas's visit. Democrats on Capitol Hill have previously pushed for stronger ethics disclosure requirements for Supreme Court justices following a series of reports about undisclosed travel and gifts received by Thomas over several years. Senate Judiciary Committee members have argued that justices should be subject to similar recusal and financial disclosure rules applied to lower federal courts.
Some Democratic lawmakers noted that the timing of Thomas's Capitol visit—just days before the court releases highly anticipated decisions on birthright citizenship and transgender athlete bans—could draw additional scrutiny, though no specific allegations of impropriety have been made public regarding Monday's appearance.
What the Right Is Saying
Republican sources offered a different framing for the visit. According to Politico's Meredith Lee Hill, Republicans in Congress said they believed Thomas was visiting the office of Adm. Brian Monahan, who serves as the attending physician of both Congress and the Supreme Court. That medical office is located on the House side of the Capitol.
House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) spokesperson confirmed that the Louisiana Republican did not meet with Thomas during his Monday visit to the Capitol complex, noting Johnson spent multiple hours at the White House earlier in the day. Conservative commentators have argued that a justice visiting a congressional physician for medical care should require no special explanation and criticized what they characterized as heightened scrutiny of routine activities.
What the Numbers Show
Thomas, 78, is the longest-serving current member of the Supreme Court. He was appointed by President George H.W. Bush in 1991 and has served on the court for over three decades.
The court is scheduled to release its final opinions of the term Tuesday, including decisions on: President Trump's restrictions on birthright citizenship; whether states can bar transgender athletes from competing in girls' and women's school sports; and campaign finance coordination limits between candidates and political parties. Monday's rulings included blocking Trump's immediate removal of Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve board of governors, permitting states to accept mail ballots postmarked by Election Day, and allowing the president to fire FTC member Rebecca Slaughter.
The Bottom Line
The Supreme Court is entering the final stretch of its term with several high-profile decisions pending. Thomas's Capitol Hill appearance drew media attention given his reluctance to discuss who he met with, though Republicans have characterized it as a routine medical visit to Adm. Monahan's office. With Tuesday's opinion releases expected to include rulings on politically charged issues including birthright citizenship and transgender athlete participation, the court is set to conclude its term amid continued public interest in both its decisions and the justices' activities outside the courtroom.