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Chief Justice Clarence Thomas canceled plans to hold a seminar this fall at George Washington University’s law school, weeks after the private university in the nation’s capital defended the conservative jurist’s position on its faculty.
The GW Hatchet, a student newspaper, first reported Thomas’ withdrawal from the fall teaching assignment Wednesday, citing an email that his longtime co-teacher, Judge Gregory E. Maggs of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, sent to students enrolled in the class .
“Unfortunately, I am writing with some sad news: Judge Thomas has informed me that he is not available to teach the seminar this fall,” Maggs wrote, according to the Hatchet. “I know it’s frustrating. Very sorry.”
The university confirmed the report. “Judge Thomas has informed GW Law that he is not available to co-teach a constitutional law seminar this fall,” a university spokesperson said. “Students were immediately informed of Judge Thomas’ decision by his co-instructor, who will continue to offer the workshop this fall.”
Maggs, through an assistant, referred questions to the university. Thomas did not immediately return messages left with the Superior Court’s public information office.
Thomas, who has been on the Supreme Court for more than 30 years, has taught at the D.C. Law School since 2011. His position as a lecturer sparked controversy this summer after the conservative majority on the court was overruled Roe v. Wadethe landmark 1973 decision that established a constitutional right to abortion.
Thomas joined the majority in the June 24 ruling Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Org. He also wrote a concurring opinion that the court should reconsider previous decisions based on legal reasoning similar to what the court developed in Roweincluding decisions protecting same-sex marriage rights and access to contraception.
Thousands then signed a petition calling for Thomas to be removed from the law school.
University leaders countered those demands, saying on June 28 that they “strongly support the robust exchange of ideas and discussion” and that “the university will neither terminate Judge Thomas’ employment nor cancel his class in response to his legal opinions “.
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Thomas’ critics celebrated Wednesday’s news that the justice was being withdrawn from his fall curriculum.
“This is a huge victory,” said John Kay, who helped organize the petition. The 20-year-old GWU junior from South Orange, N.J., who is majoring in international relations and philosophy, said he was surprised to learn of Thomas’ withdrawal. Student groups had planned demonstrations in the fall, he said, on the assumption that Thomas would teach. “We’re going to continue to work to make sure he doesn’t come back in the spring semester,” Kay said.
But one GWU law professor, Jonathan Turley, called Wednesday’s development “deeply troubling.” Turley lamented what he called a “repeal campaign” at the university.
“Judge Thomas has taught this course for many years and our students have benefited greatly from his insights and experience,” Turley wrote in an email. “He is known as someone who likes to interact with students and has often taken a keen interest in their careers. This is a huge loss for our school.”
Maggs, a former clerk for Thomas and retired Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, told the students the class will move on. “The workshop has not been canceled, but I will now be the sole instructor,” Maggs said in the email obtained by Hatchet. “For those of you still interested in the course, I assure you that we will make the most of the new situation.”
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