Justice stresses need to defer to supreme court rulings in spite of his own disregard in overturning right to abortion

Summary

Clarence Thomas criticized the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals for ignoring Supreme Court precedent in a case involving David Smith, convicted of attempted murder, whose sentence was overturned due to procedural concerns.

Thomas argued the court violated the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act by re-evaluating evidence rather than deferring to previous rulings.

Critics highlighted Thomas’s hypocrisy, noting his role in overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022, disregarding decades of precedent and leading to abortion bans in over 20 states.