Virginia Lamp Thomas
Encyclopedia
Virginia "Ginni" Lamp Thomas (born February 23, 1957) is an American attorney who is the founder and president of the conservative advocacy group Liberty Central
; and the head of Liberty Consulting, Inc. Thomas previously worked at The Heritage Foundation
. She is the wife of U.S. Supreme Court
Associate Justice Clarence Thomas
.
, the youngest of four children born to Donald Lamp, a successful engineer who owned his own firm, and Marjorie Lamp, a stay-at-home mother. Her parents were described by The Washington Post
as "upper middle class Republican Party insiders who stressed family and religion at home" and who wintered in Florida
.
Thomas attended Westside High School
in Omaha, where she was a member of the student government, the debate club, and the Republican club. While she was still in high school, her ambition was to be a member of Congress
. She enrolled in a woman's college in Virginia because of its proximity to Washington, D.C.
, subsequently transferred to the University of Nebraska, and then to Creighton University
to be closer to a boyfriend. She received a Bachelor of Arts
in Political Science and Business Communication from Creighton University (1979) and a Juris Doctor
from Creighton University School of Law
(1983), after a hiatus working as a Legislative Aide for Congressman
Hal Daub
.
, attending congressional hearings where she lobbied on behalf of the interests of the business community. Her advocacy included arguing against the passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which requires larger employers to provide temporary unpaid leave to employees to care for a new child or during a serious personal or family illness. In 1989, she became Manager of Employee Relations at the Chamber of Commerce.
, where she argued against comparable-worth legislation that would have mandated equal pay for women and men in jobs deemed to be comparable. That year, her husband, Clarence Thomas
was nominated by President
George H. W. Bush
to fill the open seat on the U.S. Supreme Court left by the retirement of Justice
Thurgood Marshall
. She attended the contentious Senate
confirmation hearings and stood by her husband as he was accused of sexual harassment. During the confirmation hearings, several Democratic
Senators claimed that her job with the Labor Department might create a conflict of interest
for her husband if he was seated on the Supreme Court. After her husband was narrowly confirmed by a majority
vote of 52 to 48, Mrs. Thomas described the televised scrutiny and confirmation process as a "trial by fire". Her next job was as a Policy Analyst for Congressman
Dick Armey
, who was then the Republican House Conference
Chairman.
In 1994, conflict-of-interest was raised again while Thomas was working for Armey. By 2000, she was working for the Heritage Foundation
; and conflict-of-interest was again raised because she was collecting résumés for potential Presidential appointments in the George W. Bush Administration
when the Supreme Court was deciding Bush v. Gore
. She continued to work at the Heritage Foundation during the administration of George W. Bush
, serving as the think tank's White House
Liaison. She serves on the Alumni Advisory Board of her alma mater, Creighton University School of Law.
, to organize conservative activists, issue score cards for Congress members, and be involved in elections. The group is aimed at opposing what Thomas has called the leftist "tyranny" of President Barack Obama
and Congressional Democrats and "protecting the core founding principles" of the nation. Thomas was interviewed by Sean Hannity
on his Fox News show Hannity
in June 2010. When asked about potential conflicts between her Liberty Central activities and her husband's position, Thomas replied, "there's a lot of judicial wives and husbands out there causing trouble. I'm just one of many."
In February 2011, Politico reported that Thomas was the head of a new company, Liberty Consulting, Inc., which filed incorporation papers in mid-November 2010. The company's website states that clients can use Thomas's "experience and connections" to help "with "governmental affairs efforts" and political donation strategies.
program Lifespring
. In 1987, she related to The Washington Post
that, during her training several years earlier, she had been "confused and troubled" by lessons such as one where trainees were told to disrobe to bikinis and bathing suits then "made fun of fat people's bodies and riddled one another with sexual questions". After realizing that membership in her Lifespring group was separating her from her family, friends, and co-workers, Thomas began what proved to be a difficult and months-long process of breaking away. At one point, she hid in another part of the U.S. to avoid a constant barrage of high-pressure phone calls from Lifespring members, who felt they had a duty to keep her in the organization.
Thomas ultimately came to believe that Lifespring was a cult
. After leaving the group in 1985, she sought counseling and joined the Cult Awareness Network
. She became a critic of controversial religious groups, speaking on panels and organizing workshops critical of cults for Congressional staffers in 1986 and 1988. In a 1991 interview, Thomas remarked, "I was once in a group that used mind control
techniques"; and she called its members "pretty scary people."
.
Multiple news organizations reported that, on October 9, 2010, Virginia Thomas left a voicemail
message for Anita Hill
, whose accusations of sexual harassment
complicated her husband's Senate confirmation hearing 19 years earlier. In the voice mail, Thomas said that Hill should apologize to Thomas's husband. Hill responded that she believed there was nothing to apologize for and said that her 1991 testimony about her interactions with Clarence Thomas was truthful.
Liberty Central
Liberty Central is a non-profit conservative political advocacy group founded in 2009 by Virginia Thomas, the wife of U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice, Clarence Thomas. Virginia Thomas is the President and CEO. Its declared purpose is stated on its website as "America’s Public Square. We...
; and the head of Liberty Consulting, Inc. Thomas previously worked at The Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation is a conservative American think tank based in Washington, D.C. Heritage's stated mission is to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong...
. She is the wife of U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
Associate Justice Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Succeeding Thurgood Marshall, Thomas is the second African American to serve on the Court....
.
Early life and education
Thomas grew up in Omaha, NebraskaOmaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, the youngest of four children born to Donald Lamp, a successful engineer who owned his own firm, and Marjorie Lamp, a stay-at-home mother. Her parents were described by The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
as "upper middle class Republican Party insiders who stressed family and religion at home" and who wintered in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
Thomas attended Westside High School
Westside High School (Omaha)
Westside High School is the high school of the Westside Community Schools district of Omaha, Nebraska. This school has provided education in the Westside Community for 50 years.-Modular schedule system:...
in Omaha, where she was a member of the student government, the debate club, and the Republican club. While she was still in high school, her ambition was to be a member of Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
. She enrolled in a woman's college in Virginia because of its proximity to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, subsequently transferred to the University of Nebraska, and then to Creighton University
Creighton University
Creighton University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The university is accredited by...
to be closer to a boyfriend. She received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Political Science and Business Communication from Creighton University (1979) and a Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from Creighton University School of Law
Creighton University School of Law
Creighton University School of Law is a part of Creighton University. Founded in 1904, Creighton Law is one of 14 Jesuit Catholic law schools in the U.S. One out of every 10 American law students is enrolled in a Jesuit law school. Situated primarily in urban centers, these schools were...
(1983), after a hiatus working as a Legislative Aide for Congressman
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Hal Daub
Hal Daub
Harold John "Hal" Daub, Jr. is a politician and lawyer affiliated with the Republican Party.-Background:...
.
1981–1991
When Congressman Daub took office in 1981, Thomas moved to Washington, D.C., and worked in his office for 18 months. After completing Creighton University School of Law (1983), she worked one more year for Daub in Washington as his Legislative Director. From 1985 to 1989, she was employed as an attorney and labor relations specialist at the United States Chamber of CommerceUnited States Chamber of Commerce
The United States Chamber of Commerce is an American lobbying group representing the interests of many businesses and trade associations. It is not an agency of the United States government....
, attending congressional hearings where she lobbied on behalf of the interests of the business community. Her advocacy included arguing against the passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which requires larger employers to provide temporary unpaid leave to employees to care for a new child or during a serious personal or family illness. In 1989, she became Manager of Employee Relations at the Chamber of Commerce.
1991–2009
In 1991, Thomas returned to government service in the Legislative Affairs Office of the United States Department of LaborUnited States Department of Labor
The United States Department of Labor is a Cabinet department of the United States government responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services, and some economic statistics. Many U.S. states also have such departments. The...
, where she argued against comparable-worth legislation that would have mandated equal pay for women and men in jobs deemed to be comparable. That year, her husband, Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Succeeding Thurgood Marshall, Thomas is the second African American to serve on the Court....
was nominated by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
to fill the open seat on the U.S. Supreme Court left by the retirement of Justice
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States are the members of the Supreme Court of the United States other than the Chief Justice of the United States...
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, serving from October 1967 until October 1991...
. She attended the contentious Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
confirmation hearings and stood by her husband as he was accused of sexual harassment. During the confirmation hearings, several Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Senators claimed that her job with the Labor Department might create a conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
for her husband if he was seated on the Supreme Court. After her husband was narrowly confirmed by a majority
Majority
A majority is a subset of a group consisting of more than half of its members. This can be compared to a plurality, which is a subset larger than any other subset; i.e. a plurality is not necessarily a majority as the largest subset may consist of less than half the group's population...
vote of 52 to 48, Mrs. Thomas described the televised scrutiny and confirmation process as a "trial by fire". Her next job was as a Policy Analyst for Congressman
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Dick Armey
Dick Armey
Richard Keith "Dick" Armey is a former U.S. Representative from Texas's and House Majority Leader . He was one of the engineers of the "Republican Revolution" of the 1990s, in which Republicans were elected to majorities of both houses of Congress for the first time in four decades. Armey was...
, who was then the Republican House Conference
Republican Conference of the United States House of Representatives
The House Republican Conference is the party caucus for Republicans in the United States House of Representatives. It hosts meetings and is the primary forum for communicating the party's message to members...
Chairman.
In 1994, conflict-of-interest was raised again while Thomas was working for Armey. By 2000, she was working for the Heritage Foundation
Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation is a conservative American think tank based in Washington, D.C. Heritage's stated mission is to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong...
; and conflict-of-interest was again raised because she was collecting résumés for potential Presidential appointments in the George W. Bush Administration
George W. Bush administration
The presidency of George W. Bush began on January 20, 2001, when he was inaugurated as the 43rd President of the United States of America. The oldest son of former president George H. W. Bush, George W...
when the Supreme Court was deciding Bush v. Gore
Bush v. Gore
Bush v. Gore, , is the landmark United States Supreme Court decision on December 12, 2000, that effectively resolved the 2000 presidential election in favor of George W. Bush. Only eight days earlier, the United States Supreme Court had unanimously decided the closely related case of Bush v...
. She continued to work at the Heritage Foundation during the administration of George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, serving as the think tank's White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
Liaison. She serves on the Alumni Advisory Board of her alma mater, Creighton University School of Law.
2009–present
In late 2009, Thomas started a nonprofit lobbying group, Liberty CentralLiberty Central
Liberty Central is a non-profit conservative political advocacy group founded in 2009 by Virginia Thomas, the wife of U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice, Clarence Thomas. Virginia Thomas is the President and CEO. Its declared purpose is stated on its website as "America’s Public Square. We...
, to organize conservative activists, issue score cards for Congress members, and be involved in elections. The group is aimed at opposing what Thomas has called the leftist "tyranny" of President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
and Congressional Democrats and "protecting the core founding principles" of the nation. Thomas was interviewed by Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity is an American radio and television host, author, and conservative political commentator. He is the host of The Sean Hannity Show, a nationally syndicated talk radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks. Hannity also hosts a cable news show, Hannity,...
on his Fox News show Hannity
Hannity
Hannity is a television show on the Fox News network, a replacement to the long-running show Hannity & Colmes. It is hosted by conservative political pundit Sean Hannity....
in June 2010. When asked about potential conflicts between her Liberty Central activities and her husband's position, Thomas replied, "there's a lot of judicial wives and husbands out there causing trouble. I'm just one of many."
In February 2011, Politico reported that Thomas was the head of a new company, Liberty Consulting, Inc., which filed incorporation papers in mid-November 2010. The company's website states that clients can use Thomas's "experience and connections" to help "with "governmental affairs efforts" and political donation strategies.
Critic of Lifespring
In the 1980s, while a congressional aide, Thomas took training with the self-awarenessSelf-awareness
Self-awareness is the capacity for introspection and the ability to reconcile oneself as an individual separate from the environment and other individuals...
program Lifespring
Lifespring
Lifespring was a for-profit private company, founded in 1974. The company promoted itself through books and word of mouth advertising. By 1989, officials stated that over 300,000 people had enrolled in the company's seminars...
. In 1987, she related to The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
that, during her training several years earlier, she had been "confused and troubled" by lessons such as one where trainees were told to disrobe to bikinis and bathing suits then "made fun of fat people's bodies and riddled one another with sexual questions". After realizing that membership in her Lifespring group was separating her from her family, friends, and co-workers, Thomas began what proved to be a difficult and months-long process of breaking away. At one point, she hid in another part of the U.S. to avoid a constant barrage of high-pressure phone calls from Lifespring members, who felt they had a duty to keep her in the organization.
Thomas ultimately came to believe that Lifespring was a cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
. After leaving the group in 1985, she sought counseling and joined the Cult Awareness Network
Cult Awareness Network
The Cult Awareness Network was founded in the wake of the November 18, 1978 deaths of members of the group Peoples Temple and assassination of Congressman Leo J. Ryan in Jonestown, Guyana. CAN is now owned and operated by associates of the Church of Scientology, an organization that the original...
. She became a critic of controversial religious groups, speaking on panels and organizing workshops critical of cults for Congressional staffers in 1986 and 1988. In a 1991 interview, Thomas remarked, "I was once in a group that used mind control
Mind control
Mind control refers to a process in which a group or individual "systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator, often to the detriment of the person being manipulated"...
techniques"; and she called its members "pretty scary people."
Personal life
Virginia and Clarence Thomas married in 1987. They live in VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
Multiple news organizations reported that, on October 9, 2010, Virginia Thomas left a voicemail
Voicemail
Voicemail is a computer based system that allows users and subscribers to exchange personal voice messages; to select and deliver voice information; and to process transactions relating to individuals, organizations, products and services, using an ordinary telephone...
message for Anita Hill
Anita Hill
Anita Faye Hill is an American attorney and academic—presently a professor of social policy, law and women's studies at Brandeis University's Heller School for Social Policy and Management. She became a national figure in 1991 when she alleged that U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas had...
, whose accusations of sexual harassment
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
complicated her husband's Senate confirmation hearing 19 years earlier. In the voice mail, Thomas said that Hill should apologize to Thomas's husband. Hill responded that she believed there was nothing to apologize for and said that her 1991 testimony about her interactions with Clarence Thomas was truthful.