Scalia is gone; Thomas ends his silence

Justice Scalia has been dead for only a few days, and already Justice Thomas appears to be taking up the slack, breaking his traditional silence and aggressively questioning lawyers who were attempting to persuade the court one way or another. Sam Hananel reports in Associated Press,

Justice Clarence Thomas broke 10 years of silence and provoked audible gasps at the Supreme Court on Monday when he posed questions from the bench during an oral argument.

In a case about a federal law that bans people convicted of domestic violence from owning guns, Thomas wanted to know of any other case where breaking a law suspends constitutional rights.

And it wasn't just one question; it was a back-and-forth lasting a few minutes that stunned lawyers, reporters and others in the courtroom.

...The 10-year milestone of his courtroom silence came just days after Scalia's death. Thomas was one of only two people invited by Scalia's family to read from Scripture during the funeral Mass on Feb. 20.

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