The Gabfest on Arizona's anti-gay religious freedom bill, Clarence Thomas, and Spike Lee.

Is Clarence Thomas’ Silence Disgraceful?

Is Clarence Thomas’ Silence Disgraceful?

Slate's weekly political roundtable.
Feb. 28 2014 11:48 AM

The If You Listen Closely, You Can Hear Clarence Thomas Shouting Gabfest

Listen to Slate’s show about anti-gay “religious freedom” bills, Clarence Thomas’ silence, and Spike Lee’s anti-gentrification rant.

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On this week’s Slate Political Gabfest, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss “anti-gay segregation” laws, Clarence Thomas’ silence during oral arguments, and Spike Lee’s rant against the gentrifying hipster population of Brooklyn.

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Here are some of the links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

  • Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed a religious freedom bill in Arizona that would have granted legal protection to anti-gay discrimination.
  • Gay rights supporters threated Arizona with economic boycotts and even the loss of the Super Bowl if the bill passed.
  • Similar bills in Kansas, Ohio, Mississippi, South Dakota, Idaho, Georgia, and Tennessee have also died.
  • The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled in 2013 that a photographer had violated a state law against gay discrimination by refusing to photograph a same-sex marriage. The photographer has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
  • UCLA law professor and First Amendment absolutist Eugene Volokh has filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in favor of the photographer.
  • In fall 2012 just 24 percent of Republicans supported legalizing same-sex marriage; now 40 percent do, according to a recent CBS/New York Times poll.
  • Economists refer to today's unemployed young people as a "lost generation."
  • New Yorker writer Jeffrey Toobin called Clarence Thomas' refusal to ask questions during oral argument for the past eight years "disgraceful."
  • Thomas' silence is no more disdainful than other Supreme Court justices' interactions with lawyers, James Taranto argues in the Wall Street Journal.
  • It's not disgraceful for Thomas to remain silent, but if he spoke up, he'd have a unique perspective to contribute, Garrett Epps writes for the Atlantic.
  • The documentary Anita tells the story of the sexual harassment allegations against Thomas during his confirmation hearing.
  • Spike Lee railed against the gentrification of Brooklyn during a speech at the Pratt Institute on Tuesday.
  • Lee's rant reminded David of The Bonfire of the Vanities: He says New York is still a playground for the wealthy, but they no longer fear that poor minorities will encroach on their turf.

John chatters about the theory of optography and its consequences for a very unfortunate albino rabbit.

David chatters about the first recorded case of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in a young soccer player—soccer fans can no longer lord it over football players that their sport is safer.

Emily chatters about a peewee hockey player in Canada who disobeyed his coach's orders not to shake the other team's hands.

Topic ideas for next week? You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest. The email address for the Political Gabfest is gabfest@slate.com. (Email may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Mike Vuolo. Links compiled by Rebecca Cohen.