Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas walked through the House side of the U.S. Capitol on Sunday and gave a reporter almost nothing, except a good laugh. MS NOW reporter Mychael Schnell spotted Thomas in the hallway and fired off a string of questions about why he was there, whom he was meeting, and whether he could offer any hints about the court's upcoming decisions. Thomas deflected every one of them with the ease of a man who has spent more than three decades on the nation's highest bench.
The exchange, reported by the Daily Caller, unfolded the day before the Supreme Court was expected to hand down final decisions on June 30, 2026. Thomas, the second-longest-serving Justice in the court's history, offered no explanation for his visit and seemed to enjoy keeping it that way.
When Schnell asked Thomas who he was there to meet, the Justice answered simply: "Oh, nobody." Pressed on what he was doing at the Capitol, Thomas replied: "Oh, just walking." Asked directly whether he had any meetings, he grinned and said: "None that I'll tell you about."
Schnell tried a different angle. She noted that House GOP Leadership offices were located nearby. Thomas did not confirm or deny meeting with anyone in leadership. She then pivoted to the court itself, asking whether the next day would be a big one for final decisions.
"I guess so."
Would he offer a sneak peek at those decisions? "Uh, nope!" Thomas said.
At one point, Thomas told Schnell she had good questions, then declined to answer any of them. When she made one last attempt, "You wanna answer any of them? Any comment at all?", he gave a one-word reply: "No."
He shook the hand of a police officer who thanked him, then walked down the hallway.
The scene was not exactly new territory for Thomas. In February 2016, a TMZ reporter caught him leaving The Capitol Grille after lunch and peppered him with questions in a similar fashion. Thomas played along then, too, eventually telling the reporter: "I know you. I'm just giving you a hard time."
That encounter, like this one, ended without a single headline-worthy revelation. Thomas gave away nothing of substance and appeared to enjoy the back-and-forth more than the reporter did.
His visit to the Capitol on June 29 was notable in one respect. Thomas has appeared before Congress to testify ten times over his career, but he was last seen in Congress in 2010, making this the first time in sixteen years that he was spotted on Capitol Hill.
Schnell posted the encounter on X, writing that Thomas "didn't say why he was here" and that he told her he was meeting with "nobody." The tweet included a photo, though its contents were not described.
The timing invited speculation. With the court set to issue what were expected to be its final decisions the following day, a Justice showing up on the House side of the Capitol, where members of Congress and their staffs work, was bound to draw attention. But Thomas offered no connection between his visit and any pending case or ruling. He simply declined to explain himself, which is, of course, his right.
Nothing in the exchange suggested any impropriety, any scheduled testimony, or any official business. It may well have been exactly what Thomas said it was: just walking.
Thomas's tenure on the Supreme Court continues to set records. He is currently the second-longest-serving Justice in the court's history. If he serves two more years, he will become the longest-serving Justice ever, a milestone that would carry enormous weight given the political battles that have surrounded his confirmation and career.
His critics in the press and in Congress have spent years trying to pressure him off the bench or undermine his credibility. Thomas, characteristically, has responded by doing his job, writing his opinions, and, when a reporter corners him in a hallway, laughing.
Thomas's actual purpose at the Capitol on June 29 remains unknown. He did not say whether he met with the Speaker, any member of House GOP Leadership, or anyone else. No official statement from his chambers or from congressional offices has been reported. The reporter's suggestion that Leadership offices were nearby went unanswered.
Whether his visit had anything to do with the court's anticipated final decisions the next day is pure speculation without further information. Thomas gave no indication either way.
What he did give was a reminder of how he handles the press: with humor, with brevity, and without apology. In a city full of officials who leak, spin, and posture for cameras, a man who says "nope" and keeps walking is a rare thing.
Washington could use more of it.
