WASHINGTON — Justice Clarence Thomas was busy in February. But he made up for his silence with three opinions in eight days that took issue with some of the court’s most prominent precedents. He called on Feb. 19 for the court to reconsider New York Times v. Sullivan, the 1964 decision that provided the press with broad First Amendment protections against libel suits brought by public officials. A week later, he expressed skepticism about Gideon v. Wainwright, the 1963 decision that said the Sixth Amendment requires the government to provide lawyers to poor people accused of serious crimes. Justice Thomas wrote that the Sixth Amendment, as understood by those who drafted and ratified it, guaranteed only the right to hire a lawyer.

Source: New York Times March 04, 2019 09:56 UTC