[ SOURCE ] New York Democratic Congressman Hakeem Jeffries addressed fierce criticism that the Supreme Court's only African American justice, Clarence Thomas, faced after he helped uphold Michigan's ban on affirmative action in state university admissions. "I've long since given up on seeing anything productive from Clarence Thomas," Jeffries said during a roundtable discussion at his office in Brooklyn Thursday. "He's a lost cause as far as I'm concerned and is more reactionary than conservatives like Justice Alito or Justice Scalia."
The Supreme Court preserved Michigan's ban by a 6-2 vote Tuesday with Thomas part of the majority. Jeffries said he thought the court's decision would not benefit Michigan's schools.
"It was a troubling decision in that it did not recognize the value of diversity generally in terms of enhancing the academic environment," said Jeffries. "I think that diversity is a value that the Supreme Court should embrace, but that decision certainly moves in a different direction."
