Why Clarence Thomas broke his decade-long silence

It took a case involving the Second Amendment to break Justice Clarence Thomas' 10-year silence. The Supreme Court justice, who last asked a question in court on Feb. 22, 2006, engaged in a back-and-forth with Justice Department lawyer Ilana Eisenstein

Clarence Thomas is the lone African American justice on the Supreme Court, but liberals are so troubled by his conservative leanings that he's often hit with the charge of not being truly black. That attitude was apparent again on Al Sharpton's Sunday

Justice Clarence Thomas Asks Question in Court, Ending 10-Year Silent Streak. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas posed questions during oral arguments in a case about domestic violence convictions and gun rights. By: Breanna Edwards.

And in the case before the court yesterday, Thomas, true to form, spoke up to ask a pointed question that expresses skepticism about the Lautenberg measure. Or put another way, the conservative jurist broke 10 years of silence in order to defend

Clarence Thomas is the lone African American justice on the Supreme Court, but liberals are so troubled by his conservative leanings that he's often hit with the charge of not being truly black. That attitude was apparent again on Al Sharpton's Sunday