Today is Thursday, October 15, 2020.

On this day in 1991, Clarence Thomas was narrowly confirmed to the Supreme Court, despite

allegations of sexual harassment by Thomas' former aide Anita Hill.

Welcome to Today in True Crime, a Spotify original from Parcast.

Due to the graphic nature of today's crimes, listener discretion is advised.

Extreme caution is advised for listeners under 13.

Today we're covering Clarence Thomas' confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court in the

face of sexual harassment allegations.

Now let's go back to October 15, 1991, to the Senate floor in Washington, D.C.

It was a tense day for the nation.

For three days, America had listened to law professor Anita Hill testify about the

Lude comments Clarence Thomas had made to her while he was her boss, ironically, at

the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC.

And Hill's testimony suggested that there was not much by way of equal opportunity if

you were a young black woman working under Thomas.

While she was reluctant to characterize her treatment under Thomas as illegal sexual harassment

in the workplace, she made it clear that his character was not at the standard necessary

to serve the highest court in the land.

Many Americans weren't convinced by Hill's testimony, however.

Most believed that Clarence Thomas should be confirmed according to a poll run by CBS

and the New York Times.

These skeptics had various reasons for dismissing Hill.

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