Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas Research Paper

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas - Research Paper Example He later proceeded to Yale Law School where he helped establish the Black student Union while at the same time developing a conservative approach to issues. After his legal training, Thomas moved back to the South in 1974 where he worked as the assistant to the Attorney General of Missouri Mr. John Danforth before later on taking up the job of being a lawyer to Monsanto, an agricultural firm. In 1981, he was appointed the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the United States Department of Education majorly due to his past in the civil rights movement and to balance the composition of this important part of the US government. He is now a conservative and controversial judge though initially he had wanted to pursue a religious life having had seminary education stints at the St. John Vianney Minor Seminary and Immaculate Conception Seminary in order to become a catholic priest or cleric. He however left the seminary and decided to fight for civil rights after he overheard a fellow student at the seminary make fun of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jnr. In the year 1982, President Ronald Reagan appointed Thomas as the Chairman of the EEOC, a position in which he held til the year 1990 when President George H.W Bush nominated him to serve as a Judge in the U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. On July 1, 1991, after sixteen months as a judge of appeal, he was nominated to fill the position left vacant by Mr. Marshall who was almost similar with his views on civil rights at the Supreme Court. However, his nomination was opposed by critics who attacked him due to his views that were largely deemed conservative for the highest court of the land while others had the view that he had little experience as a judge of the superior courts. At the confirmation hearings, Thomas decided to remain quiet on a number of issues including rights on abortion and faced a difficult moment explaining himself out about suggestions that he had made unwelc ome sexual comments on a colleague both at the Department of Education and at the EEOC. However, he was confirmed by the United States Senate through a vote of fifty-two votes for him against forty-eight who opposed him. Thomas’s views at the Supreme Court have been the interpretation of the United States constitution from the original meaning by following from a conservative point of view (Totenberg). He has argued that the powers of the federal government must be limited and the states empowered as well as having a strong executive branch within the federal government. Clarence Thomas’s Legal Career and the Supreme Court Thomas was admitted to the Missouri bar on the 13th day of September 1974 from where he practised as an assistant Attorney General of the State of Missouri under Attorney General Danforth whom he had met at the Yale Law School. At the AG’s office, he worked at the criminal appeals section before being assigned duties at the taxation and revenu e division. After the election of Danforth to the United States senate, Thomas joined Monsanto as an attorney before moving to Washington to work with his former colleague Danforth where he worked as a legislative attorney attached to the Senate Commerce Committee. Later on Dansforth played a key role in the confirmation and appointment of Thomas as a judge of the Supreme Court. After a one year stint as Assistant Secretary of Education for the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education from 1981-1982, he became the Chairman of the United

Jews in Babylon Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Jews in Babylon - Term Paper Example The Israelites and the Hebrews joined forces after the end Israelites captivity to form the Judean or Jews. ‘Jews’ will be used to mean the Israelites, in relevance to the question. The exile of the Babylonian Jews into the Diaspora between 597 BC to 539BC is one of the most important transitional periods for the Yahweh and Israelites. The events in the Babylonian exile and the consequent return to Judea resembled that of the of Israelites’ deliverance from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land. Despite being destined by prophet Jeremiah and told of the 70 years in exile of Babylon, the captivity of the Israelites still displayed social, religious, and cultural changes for the exiles. These changes may be attributed to the changed environment and governance as the Israelites are forced by circumstances to adapt to their new surroundings (Berger & Gerson 54). The influence of Canaanites’ culture, emphasis on idolatry, was absorbed by the Israelites. The Jews that inhabited Judea were made subjects on two subsequent deportations. The first deportation took place the year 597BC under the leadership of Nebuchadnezzar after he had conquered Jerusalem (Berger & Gerson 52). The king of Babylonia attacked Jerusalem with his army to punish Jehoiakim for renouncing his allegiance to his kingdom Babylon. The king of Jerusalem Jaconiah (the son of Jehoiakim) tried fighting but Nebuchadnezzar won the battle and ordered the king and his elders and treasure to be taken to Babylon. Consequently, this meant that the Jewish people were now under the rule of Babylon and evidenced by their capture in Babylon. This marked the beginning of the Babylonian exile (597 BC) as calculated by Ezekiel the prophet. The other deportation occurred after the fall of Judah in 586 BC after conquer on Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar and the burning of the temple and palace, and the capture of all dwellers of Jerusalem. Another partial deportation took place after the siege o f Tyre in 582 BC, which resulted to the murder of Jewish governor of Judah, Gedaliah. This was not considered a deportation as the numbers of Jews taken to Babylon were relatively low compared to the other two deportations. Indication of the termination of the exile was first evident with the freedom of King Jehoiachin in 562 BC, and being acknowledged as above all the other leaders in the Babylon court. The actual termination of the exile occurred in 539 BC when the king of Persia Cyrus conquered the city of Babylon. King Cyrus latter ordered rebuilding of the temple of the Lord and permitted the Jews to return to their home in Jerusalem. Ezra and Nehemiah led the significant return to Judea after difficult struggles. The conditions in exile for the Jews were not favorable. The first group that had been deported initially thought that would be left to go back home hastily. They gave credit to false prophets and claimed to be the true Israel, the one favored by Yahweh because of the ir right ways of life. This was easy as they were the leading families in their time. They interacted with the Babylonians and became content with the conditions of the exile following the advice of Jeremiah. This ultimately changed their cultural and economic status as they accumulated wealth and adopted the Babylonian’s way of living. They were viewed as equals politically. While in exile, the Jews enjoyed their life more than those who had been left behind in Jerusalem. They were allowed to