Remember when ... Clarence Thomas confirmed to US Supreme Court amid allegations

The confirmation of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 1991 — 32 years ago this week — wasn't one of your run-of-the-mill events.

A Senate confirmation hearing, with 3½ months of heated deliberations that at the end centered on sex and race, with accusations by University of Oklahoma law professor Anita Hill of sexual harassment, preceded the confirmation.

And, let's not forget the marathon TV coverage.

The Senate vote of 52 to 48 brought an end to the saga, with 11 Democrats joining all but two Republicans in support of Thomas.

The vote was the narrowest margin of any confirmed high court justice in more than a century, when Lucius Q.C. Lamar, an appointee of President Grover Cleveland, won by a 32-28 vote in 1888.

Thomas would become the 106th member of the court, and, at age 43 at the time, its youngest in half a century.

A federal appeals court judge at the time of the confirmation, Thomas would be the second black justice, replacing the first black man to serve on the court, liberal Thurgood Marshall.

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New Jersey's two U.S. senators, Bill Bradley and Frank Lautenberg, and 46 of their colleagues, were unable to derail the confirmation.

Bradley criticized the way in which White House strategists "and their allies on the committee chose to wage the battle" against Hill

"It was a clear attempt at sexual stereotyping and sly innuendo," Bradley said.

In a Senate floor speech, Bradley said, "What the men in the White House revealed through the strategy of attacking Professor Hill's character was colossal insensitivity to victims of sexual harassment."

"The treatment that the men in the White House gave to Professor Hill illustrates better than a thousand psychological studies why women are reluctant to step forward," Bradley said.

While Bradley said the four days of hearings should have been conducted behind closed doors, Lautenberg said, "If it had been done in private, the public would have been robbed of its ability to make a judgment about this matter."

"Many would have charged the Senate with a cover-up. So, it's a complicated question how we should have undertaken this investigation, or what we should do in the future," Lautenberg said.

Central Jerseyans react

Many Central Jerseyans were critical of the Senate confirmation hearing and TV coverage.

"It was the biggest waste of a week in politics in United States history," said Charles Mathews of Somerville. "I don't think a thing changed, and all those people went through hell for nothing."

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Holly Rhea of Plainfield said, "It was like a soap opera." Speculating on the motives, Rhea said, "On her part I think it was sweet revenge. I just think she was trying to get back at him."

"It's entertaining. But it doesn't say much about the country," said Penny Fussell of Piscataway.

Thomas' confirmation was "a great victory," said the Rev. Buster Soaries, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Franklin.

"I'm very happy he won," said Soaries, who testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee the month prior. "I think he will be a great addition to the Supreme Court."

Soaries said the incident "made me more supportive of Thomas. I think he showed in his response his willingness to break from the mold in the White House confirmation process."

"I would like to think Clarence Thomas is telling the truth," said Soaries, adding he believed Thomas's denials of the harassment charges.

Soaries said his appointment showed that America did not abandon the concept of innocent until proven guilty. He said if one person's accusations without witnesses or proof could convict that person, it would be a frightening climate in America.

Donna Puluka of Flemington, then the president of the National Organization for Women's New Jersey branch, said her group opposed Thomas because of his lack of position on many areas.

"This shows the nation clearly that there's a lack of inclusion in the Senate ... a lack of minorities ... a lack of women," Puluka said. "More women would have made this a different vote."

"I would give him a lot of credit for what he went through, for not pulling the plug, whether white or Black," said Robert Sivak of North Brunswick. "If he's a good man, put him in."

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"It's somewhat of a contradiction, almost a Catch-22," said Ken Hillman of Bethlehem Township. "Think of the political turmoil, the outcry of racism — that might have come and been in people's minds (when they voted)."

"I'm mad at the people who organized this circus," said Denis Keyes of Plainsboro. "This is an American soap opera — the best one we have had since Ollie North."

"This is a bunch of baloney," said RoseAnn Freiwald of North Brunswick. "Ten years later — it's a bit out of line."

"Badgering goes on every day in every walk of life," said Freiwald. "If you're a woman, you have to deal with that … Touch me, you're dead. She wasn't touched, so let it drop."

"Sexual harassment is very much like defining pornography — it's a subjective value," said John Randall of Freehold. "They're looking at a personality trait, not qualifications."

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"Guys said things like that — they flirt," said Bob Finizio of the Somerset section of Franklin. "There's a fine line between harassment and flirtation."

"He wasn't qualified to be in," said Karen Sengtack of Sayreville. "He hasn't been a judge for a long time — he's not well-rounded."

In Central Jersey schools

The hearing and confirmation also reached Central Jersey schools.

Some teachers videotaped highlights of the hearing as a basis for discussion among their students. They also read newspaper accounts in class, focused on the issue of sexual harassment, and were urged to form their own opinions, said William Finnerty, who was then the head of the social studies department at Bound Brook High School.

"Everybody is talking about it," said Thomas Crop, then supervisor of social studies at Bridgewater-Raritan High School. "I think it has raised a lot of questions in the minds of people."

What do you remember about this event? Visit This Week in Central Jersey History/Remember When at bit.ly/3IyzE1G.

Brad Wadlow is a staff writer for MyCentralJersey.com

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: US history: Clarence Thomas confirmed to Supreme Court in 1991