Thomas Second Hearing Day 1, Part 1

The committee heard a statement from Supreme Court nominee and U.S.

Court of Appeals Judge Clarence Thomas to begin his reopened

confirmation hearings. Anita Hill, a former employee under Judge

Thomas in the Department of Education and later the EEOC, had

notified the Judiciary Committee earlier during Judge Thomas'

confirmation hearings that she had been sexually harassed by Judge

Thomas when he was her boss during the early 1980s. Originally the

charges had been investigated and discussed with committee members by

committee chairman Biden. Over the weekend before the Senate

confirmation vote on Judge Thomas, Professor Hill’s charges were

leaked to the press, setting off a fire storm of debate on the

Supreme Court nominee’s propriety. The Senate delayed the

confirmation vote from October 10 to October 15 to accommodate

additional hearings on the charges.

In his opening statement, Judge Thomas vehemently denied having

harassed Ms. Hill during their work at the Department of Education

and the EEOC, and described their relationship. He characterized the

confirmation process as an ordeal in which he and his family were

humiliated, and said the price for confirmation was too high. Judge

Thomas summed up his statement by stating his refusal to respond to

questions on his private life, saying he would "not provide the rope

for. . . his own lynching."

Following Judge Thomas' opening statement, Sen. Hatch and committee

chairman Biden exchanged sharp words concerning the introduction of

Professor Hill’s affidavit into testimony. The committee recessed

for five minutes, and reemerged to state it would delay questioning

Judge Thomas and would hear testimony from Professor Hill. close