Georgia Senate votes to put a statue of Clarence Thomas on the Capitol grounds

“He hasn’t forgotten his home, he hasn’t forgotten his condition, he hasn’t forgotten his family,” Watson said.

SB 326 would form a Monuments Committee of three members each from the Georgia House and Senate who would be charged with approving the design, acquisition, and placement of the monument. No public money would be spent on the memorial, which would be funded by private donations.

Democrats who voted against the measure, in addition to some of the controversial allegations in Thomas’ past, said it was inadvisable to erect a memorial to someone who is still alive and serving on the bench.

Democratic senators recalled allegations of sexual harassment against Thomas during his confirmation hearings and a refuted claim that his wife, Ginni, helped Thomas organize the January 6, 2021 US Capitol riot.

State Senator Nikki Merritt, a Grayson Democrat, said while much of “white America” ​​is promoting Thomas, many black Americans have questioned his opposition to affirmative action and his support for “eviscerating” Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act Georgia and some other states with histories of voter suppression and racist maneuvering require federal approval before changing their voting laws.

“It’s not that we have a problem with him being a conservative or a Republican. We consider him a hypocrite and a traitor,” she said, making some in the chamber gasp.

State Senator Brian Strickland, a McDonough Republican, said honoring Thomas is about who he is as a man.

“The story of Justice Thomas is a Georgia story,” he said. “It’s not a Supreme Court decision he wrote up there in 30 years, not allegations he was made at hearings 30 years ago, not something his wife might have said to anyone a few years ago.” said Strickland. “The story of Clarence Thomas is the story of one who rose from a city named and founded after freed slaves.”

The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration.