Thomas, Clarence (1948- )

US Supreme Court associate justice from 1991. He was nominated by President George H W Bush, but was only narrowly confirmed, by 52 votes to 48, by the Senate in what was the narrowest margin for any nominee to the Supreme Court in the 20th century. Thomas had faced accusations of sexual harassment by former colleague Anita Hill and was not supported by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which would normally back a black nominee. It was widely believed that his Republican views and opposition to abortion, rather than his legal experience, led to his nomination to the Supreme Court.

Born in Savannah, Georgia, he studied at Yale University Law School. President Ronald Reagan appointed him head of the civil-rights division of the department of education in 1981 and he chaired the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission 1982-90. In 1990 President Bush appointed him a justice on the US Court of Appeals.