Judging Thomas

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Indeed, conservatives can barely conceal their glee over Thomas' performance. "The court no longer sees itself as the moral conscience of the nation bent on improving on the state of mankind," says Bruce Fein, a conservative legal scholar, approvingly. On the wall of Thomas' chambers is a Harriett Erlich drawing titled Freedom that shows three black children with outstretched arms. Thomas might ponder its message; his own liberation from the poverty of Pin Point, Ga., and his rise to the court would have been unthinkable without the body of liberal jurisprudence he now casts into doubt.