Clarence Thomas misses Supreme Court arguments without explanation

By John Fritze, CNN

(CNN) — Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas did not attend oral arguments Monday and provided no explanation for his absence.

Chief Justice John Roberts announced that Thomas would not take part shortly after the court sat for arguments in a public corruption case Monday morning. In the past, the court has often provided some explanation, such as noting that a justice was feeling ill. Sometimes, those justices take part in arguments remotely.

Thomas, 75 and the most senior associate justice on the high court, missed several arguments in 2022 after being diagnosed with an infection.

The Supreme Court did not respond to a request for additional information about Thomas’ absence on Monday, when his colleagues heard arguments in two cases.

The first centered on a payment the former mayor of Portage, Indiana, received from a city contractor and whether that payment violated a federal anti-corruption statute. The second dealt with a jewelry store manager in Ohio who sued police, arguing that officers did not have probable cause to arrest him on money laundering charges.

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