(Photo
by
Drew
Angerer/Getty
Images)
Clarence
Thomas
will
become
the
longest
serving
justice
in
Supreme
Court
history
if
he
holds
out
until
mid-2028.
And
despite
the
fervent
wishes
of
conservatives
and
—
probably
especially
—
Thomas’s
likely
replacement
Judge
James
Ho,
the
Court’s
senior
justice
seems
likely
to
gun
for
the
record.
And
one
of
the
perks
enjoyed
by
folks
serving
long
tenures
in
important
jobs
is
a
fancy
oil
portrait.
So
it’s
no
surprise
that
Thomas
is
in
the
process
of
having
his
legacy
portrait
done.
For
this
task,
he’s
chosen
Igor
V.
Babailov,
an
accomplished
portrait
artist
whose
past
subjects
include
Thomas’s
colleague
Samuel
Alito,
Vladimir
Putin,
and
Prince
Andrew.
Honestly,
it’s
a
little
jolting
to
see
any
picture
of
Prince
Andrew
these
days
that
doesn’t
involve
Jeffrey
Epstein.
For
the
highest
of
comedy,
check
out
the
George
W.
Bush,
where
America’s
most
destructive
nepo
baby
is
posed
as
the
fifth
head
on
Mount
Rushmore,
juxtaposing
the
man
who
said
“you
can
fool
all
of
the
people
some
of
the
time…”
with
the
man
who
said,
“fool
me
once
shame
on
you,
fool
me
—
you
can’t
get fooled
again.”
It’s
not
like
Babailov
uniquely
seeks
out
cartoonish
villains
for
his
portfolio.
For
example,
his
Putin
portrait
was
commissioned
as
a
gift
from
the
Canadian
government.
But
still,
it’s
a
man
with
a
history
of
capturing
some
of
the
world’s
most
punchable
people
for
posterity.
While
we
wait
on
the
Thomas
portrait,
Babailov
offers
some
tantalizing
peeks
at
the
process,
including
some
revealing
detail
work
on
the
bookshelf
being
composed
as
a
backdrop.
From
the
Igor
V.
Babailov
website
Not
quite
sure
what
“The
Law”
is
or
why
it
would
be
neatly
held
in
one
relatively
thin
volume.
His
autobiography,
My
Grandfather’s
Son,
and
his
hagiography,
Created
Equal,
make
appearances.
The
latter
work
was
a
pillar
of
a
public
relations
blitz
from
conservatives
trying
to
recuperate
Thomas’s
reputation
and
gave
birth
to
a
documentary
film
of
the
same
name
funded
by
right-wing
activists.
Was
FedSoc
honcho
Leonard
Leo
at
the
center
of
raising
over
a
million
and
a
half
from
conservative
non-profits
for
this
effort?
Could
Harlan
Crow
have
been
involved?
You’d
better
believe
it!
The
Bible
shows
up,
presumably
the
Trump
version
that
includes
the
nation’s
founding
documents…
or
at
least
the
parts
that
the
conservative
legal
movement
care
about.
And
finally,
Littlest
Suffering
Souls,
a
book
whose
author,
Austin
Ruse,
president
of
the
Catholic
Family
&
Human
Rights
Institute,
once
wrote,
“Women
should
not
be
able
to
vote
until
they
are
married.”
It’s
unclear
if
other
specific
titles
will
be
added
before
the
portrait’s
completion
or
if
the
rest
become
nondescript
“law-looking
books.”
Any
thoughts
on
what
the
artist
should
add?
The
Bluebook
perhaps?
Blackstone’s
Commentaries?
Winds
of
Winter?
We’ll
just
have
to
wait
and
see!
Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments.
Follow
him
on Twitter or
Bluesky
if
you’re
interested
in
law,
politics,
and
a
healthy
dose
of
college
sports
news.
Joe
also
serves
as
a
Managing
Director
at
RPN
Executive
Search.