Thomas Explains to Cruz Why Alito Steered Clear During Yale Law School Years

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas shared an anecdote Wednesday about his relationship with fellow Justice Samuel Alito during their overlapping years at Yale Law School. In a podcast interview with Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, Thomas revealed that Alito had explained their lack of friendship by calling him “scary.” The conversation took place on the “Verdict with Ted Cruz” program, which aired this week and covered topics ranging from race and politics to personal reflections.

Thomas described how he directly asked Alito why the two men, who attended the law school simultaneously, had never developed a friendship. According to Thomas, Alito attributed the distance to Thomas’s intimidating demeanor during those formative academic years. The justice elaborated on his distinctive appearance at the time, noting that he regularly wore bib overalls and combat boots throughout his law school tenure.

The exchange highlighted the contrasting paths the two justices took before reaching the nation’s highest court. Cruz characterized Thomas as having undergone a significant ideological transformation from his college years, when Cruz described him as holding left-wing views, to his current standing as a prominent conservative jurist. “No other justice has overcome so much adversity to reach the very pinnacle of American law,” Cruz remarked during a separate Wednesday appearance on “The Will Cain Show.”