Clarence Thomas Achieves Milestone as Second-Longest Serving Supreme Court Justice

Clarence Thomas, 77, became the second-longest serving U.S. Supreme Court justice in history on May 7. Sworn in Oct. 23, 1991, Thomas has now served 34 years, 6 months, and 13 days, surpassing the previous second-place record holder, Justice Stephen J.  Field, who served from 1863 to 1897. After working for the U.S. Department of Education, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and as a federal appeals court judge, Thomas was appointed by Republican President George H.W. Bush after a bruising confirmation battle in the U.S. Senate, where he was approved 52–48. The second black member of the Supreme Court, Thomas succeeded to the seat of the first, Justice Thurgood Marshall, whom President Lyndon Johnson appointed in 1967....