I can’t stand what I know about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. His wife is a shrill shill for the far right, he took expensive vacations with a far right billionaire and his rulings stink of politics. He dissents anything that doesn’t sound ultra-conservative an espouses anything that does. He clearly led the decision on Roe v Wade being overturned. He is a danger to our democracy and to our country.
And yet…
Today in the NY Times I read an article about a judge in Germany, named Andreas Muller. He is not the equivalent of a Supreme Court judge in the US but he’s a highly influential jurist. He unapologetically lobbies for the repeal of laws that ban cannabis. He lets off people who are found in possession of marijuana, using legalities to do so. The article discusses an 18-year-old found with 7.5oz in his parents’ home. I find this quite sympathetic, but of course and forced to realized that I happen to agree with Judge Muller’s politics. “It makes me so mad to see so many young people locked up and criminalized just because they use cannabis and not alcohol,” he said.
I feel a little embarassed, that I can rationalize how I feel about Judge Muller (and any equivalent in my country) but can despise Judge Thomas or others. So…it has made me a little introspective about it….but only a little. I can’t bring myself to be more sympathetic toward Judge Thomas; perhaps just a little more sympathetic to my righty friends who might be uncomfortable with the Judge Muller’s of the world.
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