Clarence Thomas and Affirmative Action

James Kirchik has an interesting column on Clarence Thomas and affirmative action in The Los Angeles Times. The Supreme Court justice’s revealing autobiography, My Grandfather’s Son, has revived discussion of this topic. Professor Ann Althouse comments on some interesting passages in Justice Thomas’s memoirs here, here, here and here. Supreme Court reporter Jan Crawford Greenburg’s interviews with Clarence Thomas about his book can be found here.Unlike many memoirs, which are as bland as tapioca dishwater,Thomas’s autobiography is not dull, and it discloses many things about Thomas that a PR flack would advise a public figure to keep out of his memoirs.

Previously, I have discussed the substantial cost to taxpayers of affirmative action in government contracts. CEI has also filed court briefs against some rather extreme affirmative action programs.