Clarence Thomas Misses Supreme Court Arguments, No Reason Given

Justice Clarence Thomas, the US Supreme Court’s leading conservative, wasn’t at oral arguments Monday and the court gave no reason for his absence.

At the start of the day’s proceedings, Chief Justice John Roberts said “Justice Thomas is not on the bench today” but would “participate fully” in the case through briefs and transcripts.

The court will often announce when a justice is out sick or participating in the arguments remotely due to an illness. No such explanation was given for Thomas, who missed two cases Monday.

Thomas, who will be 76 in June, is the court’s oldest justice and leads the court’s 6-3 conservative majority.

The day started with arguments in a former Indiana mayor’s corruption appeal that asks the justices if it’s a crime for state and local officials to accept gratuities.

In the second case, the justices are being asked what rule courts should follow when considering malicious prosecution claims under the Fourth Amendment.

—With assistance from Bloomberg’s Greg Stohr.