Justice Clarence Thomas One-on-One (Part 1)

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 23:53:26 +0000

Justice Clarence Thomas sits down for his first-ever podcast interview with Senator Ted Cruz on Verdict.

In part one of this special episode, the Justice shares the extraordinary story of his life — from the dirt roads of Pinpoint, Georgia, and a childhood marked by fire, poverty, and a chamber pot, to being raised by the two greatest people he has ever known: his grandparents. He talks openly about the Irish nuns who shaped him, his near path to the priesthood, the anger that consumed him after Dr. King’s assassination, the night he nearly went too far in a riot, and the quiet moment in front of the Blessed Sacrament when he asked God to take the hate out of his heart.

This conversation is the perfect companion to Ted Cruz’s brand-new book, Going Further: The Incomparable Clarence Thomas, which hits shelves on August 25th. Pre-order now at goingfurther.com.

0:05 Justice Clarence Thomas joins *Verdict with Ted Cruz*
1:14 Thomas on doing his first podcast and his friendship with Ted Cruz
2:31 Cruz on Thomas’s example of standing up under criticism
4:04 Growing up in Pinpoint, Georgia, and losing his childhood home
4:43 Urban poverty in Savannah and moving in with his grandparents
5:03 A difficult childhood memory—and why Thomas “won’t complain”
6:44 Catholic faith, Irish nuns, and the foundation of Thomas’s life
6:58 Why Thomas once considered becoming a priest
7:41 The nuns’ approach to civil rights, equality, and personal responsibility
8:27 Brown v. Board of Education and segregation during Thomas’s childhood
9:12 School, rural versus urban poverty, and learning Geechee/Gullah
11:13 Myers Anderson: The grandfather who shaped Clarence Thomas
12:07 Discipline, hardship, education, and work ethic
13:05 Delivering fuel oil and farming as a child
14:20 The Martin Luther King Jr. note Thomas received in seminary
15:07 Being one of few Black students in the seminary
16:35 The “rattlesnake versus moccasin” analogy on racism
18:06 What drew Thomas toward the priesthood
19:02 Race, slavery, and why Thomas felt the church had failed morally
20:42 Leaving the seminary after Dr. King’s assassination
21:27 From seminary to Holy Cross and Yale Law School
22:00 Anger, leaving the church, and being on his own at 19
23:00 His grandfather’s challenge: “When you destroy it, where are you going to go?”
25:16 The Harvard Square protest that changed his direction
25:47 Thomas’s “road to Damascus” moment and prayer to let go of hate
27:02 Individual liberty, responsibility, and refusing to conform
30:41 Race, colorblindness, and rejecting limits on independent thought
31:28 Discovering Thomas Sowell—and throwing away his book at first
32:20 Working for Missouri Attorney General Jack Danforth
32:47 Why Thomas says job rejection helped lead him to the Supreme Court
33:00 Part two preview: Thomas on the Constitution, precedent, liberty, and the Court

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