Boston University School of Law Scholarly Commons at Boston University School of Law Faculty Scholarship 2005 Using the Master’s “Tool” to Dismantle His House: Why Justice Clarence Thomas Makes the Case for Affirmative Action Angela Onwuachi-Willig Boston University School of Law Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.bu.edu/faculty_scholarship Part of the Law and Race Commons Recommended Citation Angela Onwuachi-Willig, Using the Master’s “Tool” to Dismantle His House: Why Justice Clarence Thomas Makes the Case for Affirmative Action, 47 Arizona Law Review 113 (2005). Available at: https://scholarship.law.bu.edu/faculty_scholarship/316 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarly Commons at Boston University School of Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Scholarship by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Commons at Boston University School of Law. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. USING THE MASTER’S “TOOL” TO DISMANTLE HIS HOUSE: WHY JUSTICE CLARENCE THOMAS MAKES THE CASE FOR AFFIRMATIVE ACTION Angela Onwuachi-Willig* Justice Clarence Thomas, the second black man to sit on the Supreme Court, is famous, or rather infamous, for his opposition to affirmative action. His strongest critics condemn him for attacking the very preferences that helped him reach the Supreme Court. None, however, have considered how Thomas’s life itself may be used as a justification for affirmative action. In what ways can the master’s “tool” be used to dismantle his house?1 * Acting Professor of Law, University of California, Davis,
[email protected]. J.D., University of Michigan Law School; B.A., Grinnell College.