Clarence Thomas in Spotlight Like Few Other Justices

A newly released Clarence Thomas documentary nudges the Supreme Court justice further into the public spotlight, a place where few of his colleagues past and present have ventured.

“Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words” traces his rise from a childhood in rural segregated Georgia to a seat on the highest court in the land. It covers a “complex and often painful life,” according to the film’s website.

Thomas’ enigmatic persona at the Supreme Court—he’s known for saying virtually nothing at oral arguments for over the past decade and a half—gives little window into his reportedly friendly and ...