Justice Thomas recalls why he wasn't friends with Alito in law school: 'Clarence, you were scary'

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas recently recalled a funny conversation with Justice Samuel Alito about why they weren't friends during their time at Yale Law School.

When asked why they were never friends at the Ivy League institution, Alito told Thomas he was "scary."

Thomas sat down with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, for a rare interview in which the pair discussed race, politics and a variety of other issues on an episode of the "Verdict with Ted Cruz" podcast, which aired Wednesday.

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U.S. Supreme Court associate justices Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito attend inauguration ceremonies in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C.  (Chip Somodevilla/Pool via Reuters)

Thomas was talking about his Supreme Court colleagues when he noted that Alito attended Yale a year behind him.

"He was a year behind you. But you didn't know each other," Cruz said.

"He's a funny guy. He's brilliant. He was always nerdy. Princeton guy like you, right?" Thomas replied.

Thomas then recalled asking Alito about their time at the university.

"So I said, 'Sam, how come we were there two years together? Why weren't we friends?'" Thomas recalled. 

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Supreme Court associate justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas at the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. (Chip Somodevilla/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

"'Clarence, you were scary,'" Thomas said Alito told him.

The justice explained that he wore bib overalls and combat boots throughout law school. 

"I'm so glad they didn't have these phones where you could take a lot of pictures," he added.

During an appearance Wednesday on "The Will Cain Show," Cruz noted that Thomas was a "left-wing radical" in college before eventually embracing conservatism.

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"He journeyed to become an extraordinary thinker," Cruz said. "No other justice has overcome so much adversity to reach the very pinnacle of American law."