Jane Mayer on Justice Clarence Thomas, and the Music Critic Hanif Abdurraqib on Concert Merch
b'The cascade of revelations published by ProPublica concerning Justice Clarence Thomas\\u2014the island-hopping yachting adventures underwritten by a right-wing billionaire patron, the undisclosed real estate transactions\\u2014raises questions about his proximity to power and money. \\u201cI think it stretches common sense,\\u201d Jane Mayer tells David Remnick, \\u201cto think that a judge could be independent when he takes that much money from one person.\\u201d Mayer notes that other Justices, including the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, have accepted large gifts from politically connected donors. A deepening public distrust in the integrity of the Supreme Court, Mayer thinks, is dangerous for democracy. \\u201cThe glue that holds us together is the rule of law in this country,\\u201d she says. \\u201cPeople have to believe when they go in front of a court, and in particular the Supreme Court, . . . that it\\u2019s justice that\\u2019s going to prevail.\\u201d'