The review, published by Reason, sorts Supreme Court books into three buckets. Most are written by academics and rely on public records and interpretation. Others, often by journalists, offer inside details from anonymous sources that cannot be verified. The rarest kind, the review argues, is an authorized biography that draws on named, on-the-record sources—and it places Senator Ted Cruz's new book about Justice Clarence Thomas in that category.
Cruz's background, the review notes, gives him unusual standing: he clerked for Chief Justice Rehnquist, argued before the Court as a litigator, and serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee. More importantly, Thomas trusted him. Over six months in late 2025, Cruz visited Thomas's chambers six times and recorded nine hours of interviews. The review says Thomas spoke openly rather than on background, and that even Cruz found some of the Justice's remarks surprising.
The review also addresses retirement pressure on Thomas after President Trump's re-election. It says Thomas has ignored calls from conservatives to step down, and that he told Cruz a resignation would contradict everything he stands for. The review's conclusion treats Thomas's comment—that collapsing at the end of a long career means living a noble life—as a summary of his outlook.