Thomas Second Hearing Day 1, Part 1
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.
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… read more
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
People in this video
- Joe Biden Jr. U.S. Senator [D] Delaware
- Dennis DeConcini U.S. Senator [D] Arizona
- Orrin Hatch U.S. Senator (Class 1) [R] Utah
- Ted Kennedy U.S. Senator [D] Massachusetts
- Alan K. Simpson U.S. Senator [R] Wyoming
-
- Strom Thurmond U.S. Senator [R] South Carolina
Hosting Organization
Series
More SeriesMore Videos From
Thomas Second Hearing Day 1,
Related Video
-
Senators Question Clarence Thomas
Prior to confirmation hearings for Judge John Roberts, a compilation of the second set of Senate Judiciary hearings on the…
-
Thomas Second Hearing Day 2, Part 1
The committee heard testimony from Supreme Court nominee and U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Clarence Thomas on the second…
-
Thomas Second Hearing Day 1, Part 2
The committee heard testimony from University of Oklahoma Law Professor Anita Hill during the first day of the reopened…
-
Thomas Second Hearing Day 1, Part 4
The committee heard testimony from Supreme Court nominee and U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Clarence Thomas during the first day of his reopened confirmation…