美国最高法院大法官克拉伦斯·托马斯讲话引争议

AS IT IS 2016-03-01 US Supreme¹ Court Judge Speaks, 1st Time in 10 Years 美国最高法院大法官克拉伦斯·托马斯讲话引争议

United States Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas shocked everyone during a court session on Monday. He asked several questions for the first time in 10 years.

The Associated Press reported that the sound of Thomas’ voice drew gasps² from some lawyers watching the Monday session.

The case was an appeal by two men who say their guilty pleas for hitting their partners should not bar them from owning a gun.

With about 10 minutes left in an hour-long hearing, U.S. Justice Department attorney Ilana Eisenstein was about to sit down. She noted³ there did not seem to be “any further questions” from the Supreme Court Justices.

“Ms. Eisenstein, one question,” Thomas said.

Justice Thomas then asked if a “misdemeanor violation⁴ of domestic conduct” should result in a “life-time ban” on the right to own a gun.

Eisenstein responded that Congress moved in 1996 to ban people who attack their partners from having a gun because they pose a greater risk “of killing⁵, by a gun, their family member.”

But Thomas questioned if that made sense when the conduct at issue in the case before the Supreme Court did not involve a gun.

Thomas last asked a question on February 22, 2006, in a death penalty case.

In a speech to Harvard University in 2013, Thomas said he does not think asking questions is helpful.

“I think we should listen to lawyers who are arguing their cases, and I think we should allow the advocates to advocate,” he said.

Michael Fletcher, who co-wrote a 2008 biography on Thomas, said the recent death of his conservative court ally, Antonin Scalia, might have prompted him to ask questions. Scalia tended to ask more questions than any other justice.

“The timing⁶ of his questions leads one to believe that it has something to do with Justice Scalia’s death,” Fletcher told VOA Learning English. “But at the same time it is hard to sustain the idea that he is trying to fill some void.”

Unlike Scalia, Fletcher said, Thomas does not seem to enjoy “confrontations with his ideological⁸ opposites.” Fletcher’s book on Thomas was called, “Supreme Discomfort⁹: The Divided Soul of Clarence Thomas.”

Steve Wermiel, a law professor at American University’s Washington College of Law, said one reason Thomas may have spoken Monday is because the issue was on gun rights. Thomas, he said, has long been a strong believer in the Second Amendment¹⁰. The amendment permits Americans to own guns.

“Second, he often suggested that there was already too much questioning by the Justices and not enough time for the lawyers to make their arguments,” Wermiel told Voice of America. “With Justice Scalia gone, he may feel that there is more room for questions, but especially about a subject about which he cares deeply.”

Words in This Story

misdemeanor – n. a crime that is less serious than a felony

domestic – adj. relating to or involving someone's home or family

tend – v. what often happens

sustain – v. to provide what is needed for (something or someone) to exist, continue

void – n. something missing

confrontation⁷ – n. a situation in which people, groups, etc., fight, oppose, or challenge each other in an angry way

ideological – adj. set of ideas and beliefs of a person or a group

discomfort – n uncomfortable feeling

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 gasps   

v.喘气( gasp的第三人称单数 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要

参考例句：

• He leant against the railing, his breath coming in short gasps. 他倚着栏杆，急促地喘气。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• My breaths were coming in gasps. 我急促地喘起气来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

4 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

5 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

6 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

7 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

8 ideological   

a.意识形态的

参考例句：

• He always tries to link his study with his ideological problems. 他总是把学习和自己的思想问题联系起来。
• He helped me enormously with advice on how to do ideological work. 他告诉我怎样做思想工作，对我有很大帮助。

9 discomfort   

n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便

参考例句：

• One has to bear a little discomfort while travelling.旅行中总要忍受一点不便。
• She turned red with discomfort when the teacher spoke.老师讲话时她不好意思地红着脸。

10 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。