Clarence Thomas Sparks Health Mystery After Refusing to Explain Medical Visit

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas set off a wave of questions Monday after he was spotted inside the U.S. Capitol — and refused to explain why he was there.

Thomas, 78, is the oldest sitting justice on the Supreme Court. He was seen walking through the House side of the Capitol, a rare sight for a justice who normally works across the street at the Supreme Court building.

When MS NOW reporter Mychael Schnell asked who he was meeting with, Thomas appeared to miss the question at first and turned to the man walking beside him.

“What’d she say?” Thomas asked.

After the question was repeated, Thomas gave a strange answer.

“Oh, nobody,” he said.

But when pressed again about whether he had any meetings scheduled, Thomas did not exactly clear things up.

“None that I’m going to tell you about,” he replied with a chuckle.

The brief exchange immediately raised eyebrows in Washington, where the movements of Supreme Court justices are closely watched — especially when they make unusual visits to the Capitol.

Thomas did not meet with House Republican leadership during the visit, according to Politico reporter Meredith Lee Hill. Instead, Republican sources reportedly believe Thomas was at the Capitol to visit the Office of the Attending Physician, the in-house medical office used by members of Congress, Supreme Court justices and other officials.

The Supreme Court’s Public Information Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Office of the Attending Physician is located in a tucked-away hallway on the Capitol’s first floor. It provides basic medical care, first aid and treatment to all 535 members of Congress, the nine justices and visitors.

Supreme Court justices are rarely seen wandering the Capitol unless they are attending major ceremonial events, such as the State of the Union. That made Thomas’ appearance even more notable.

The mystery visit comes as age and health have become increasingly sensitive topics around the nation’s highest court.

Thomas has served on the Supreme Court since 1991, when he was appointed by President George H.W. Bush. He is now one of the court’s most powerful conservative voices — and one of its most scrutinized members.

The Capitol medical office has been used by justices before.

In 2013, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was examined there after falling in the bathroom of her home and cracking her ribs. Ginsburg, who became a liberal icon, remained on the bench until her death in 2020 at age 87.

Her decision not to retire while Democrats had more political power has become a major talking point in Washington — especially as both parties think about the future of the Supreme Court.

In April, President Donald Trump appeared to reference Ginsburg’s refusal to step aside while discussing whether older justices should retire before their seats can be filled by the opposing side.

“You make the case that, at a certain time, you give it up so that you can have a justice on the same side,” Trump told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo. “But it’s probably not easy to give up for people, you know, when they reach a certain age.”

Trump, 79, is himself the oldest person ever inaugurated as president.

Thomas has had at least one publicly known health scare in recent years. In 2022, he was hospitalized with an infection after experiencing “flu-like symptoms,” though the public was not told about his hospitalization until two days later.

He is not the only senior conservative justice whose health has drawn attention.

Justice Samuel Alito, 76, the second-oldest member of the court, was reportedly taken to a hospital earlier this year after becoming ill during a Federalist Society dinner. CNN reported that Alito was evaluated and given fluids for dehydration before returning home that same night.

Thomas and Alito are widely viewed as two of the court’s most conservative members. Their ages have made them central figures in the quiet but high-stakes guessing game over the court’s future.

For now, Thomas is not saying what brought him to the Capitol.

And his answer — “none that I’m going to tell you about” — is only fueling more questions.