Biden’s first State of the Union address was a historic event for many reasons. However, one thing that was noticed was the absence of four of the Supreme Court justices: Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, and Neil Gorsuch. While the tradition of the justices attending the State of the Union is not mandatory, their decision to forgo the event begs the question: why?
The most obvious answer is that the four justices have vastly different political and judicial philosophies compared to President Biden and his views on the law. Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito have been two of the most conservative justices on the court, while Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch are both considered to be more centrist or moderate. As such, it’s likely that the four justices decided to stay away from the event in order to avoid any political controversy or potential conflict with Biden.
Additionally, the four justices may have chosen to stay away due to recent Supreme Court cases which have caused tension between the executive and judicial branches. Biden has repeatedly criticized the court’s decision in the June Medical Services case, which protected abortion clinics in Louisiana. Similarly, the court has disagreed with Biden on a number of immigration-related cases, including the recent decision that temporarily blocked the president’s attempts to enforce a travel ban on certain countries.
The four justices may also have had personal reasons for not attending the State of the Union address. It’s possible that they wanted to avoid the spotlight that comes with being part of a large and important event. Or, they may have simply not wanted to attend for personal reasons.
Regardless of their reasons for not attending, the absence of Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, and Neil Gorsuch from Biden’s State of the Union address was still highly noticeable. Their absence speaks volumes about their political and personal views, and the potential tension between the executive and judicial branches of the United States government.