Interesting piece in The Washington Post on Justice Clarence Thomas here.

The tone of the piece is worth noting -- it seems as though the reporter is surprised to find out that Justice Thomas is a human being, after all.

How silly. I have had the privilege of knowing Justice Thomas since before he was named to the Supreme Court, thanks to a common Missouri connection and then through friends who clerked for him. He is a wonderful man who has treated me, and many of my friends, with great kindness -- and if there were no privacy issues, I could tell many stories about the extraordinary efforts he has made on behalf of others, several of whom I know well. One of the most distinctive traits of the Justice is his big, joyful, booming laugh.

The piece, of course, makes reference to the ugly circumstances surrounding the Justice's confirmation. Suffice it to say that the false charges lodged by Anita Hill were the most scurrilous, politically motivated, disgraceful, repugnant smears that I can remember. I never saw even the slightest hint of improper behavior or vulgarity on Justice Thomas' part ever (and usually, if a man does engage in that kind of stuff, one gets a hint of it after spending some time with him).

In fact, Justice Thomas simply isn't that type of person. For those who know Justice Thomas, Anita Hill's allegations seemed as likely as Ronald Reagan being an axe murderer.

By the way, the "Stephen Smith" quoted in the piece was a co-clerk with me on the US Court of Appeals for the DC Ciruit. He clerked for Justice Thomas, and is now is a law professor at UVA.