Clarence Thomas
Role at the time: Supreme Court associate justice, joining the dissent
Defended or excused
Statement summary
Thomas joins the position that enforcement should be allowed during the appeal.
“Recorded action: Thomas expressly joined Alito’s dissent in favor of granting the government’s stay request.”
Read the original text (opens in a new tab)Supreme Court stay denial, Kavanaugh concurrence and Alito dissent: USPS v. California · Supreme Court of the United StatesPDF p.1: concurrence; pp.2–9: dissent and Thomas’s express joinder
The Court denies a stay of the preliminary injunction. Kavanaugh objects to applying the rule in 2026; Alito would grant the stay and Thomas joins him. This is emergency relief, not final disposition of every challenge to the executive order.
Why we used this label
Defends enforcement through an express joinder.