Justice Thomas Recalls Alito's Surprising Reason for Law School Distance: 'You Were Scary'

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas recently shared a lighthearted recollection of a conversation he had with Justice Samuel Alito regarding their time as students at Yale Law School.

During an appearance on the "Verdict with Ted Cruz" podcast, hosted by Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Justice Thomas delved into various topics, including his relationships with his fellow Supreme Court justices. He mentioned that Justice Alito attended Yale Law School one year after him, though they didn't become acquainted during their studies.

"He's a funny guy. He's brilliant. He was always nerdy. Princeton guy like you, right?" Justice Thomas remarked to Senator Cruz about Justice Alito.

Justice Thomas then recounted an occasion when he directly asked Justice Alito about their shared years at the prestigious institution.

"So I said, 'Sam, how come we were there two years together? Why weren't we friends?'" Justice Thomas recalled asking.

According to Justice Thomas, Alito's straightforward response was: "Clarence, you were scary."

Justice Thomas provided an explanation for Alito's perception, noting that he consistently wore bib overalls and combat boots throughout his law school tenure. He humorously added, "I'm so glad they didn't have these phones where you could take a lot of pictures," implying his unique fashion choices might have been widely documented today.

Justice Thomas's Journey to Conservatism

Senator Cruz also provided further context about Justice Thomas's background, noting during a separate appearance on "The Will Cain Show" that Justice Thomas had been a "left-wing radical" during his college years before gradually adopting conservative viewpoints.

"He journeyed to become an extraordinary thinker," Senator Cruz stated, commending Justice Thomas's intellectual evolution. "No other justice has overcome so much adversity to reach the very pinnacle of American law."