Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has modified his financial disclosures over the past 13 years to include the employment of his wife, Virginia. In his annual filings, Thomas had previously omitted his wife's income from Hillsdale College, the Heritage Foundation and Republican Leaders in the House. The information was required
on reports Thomas is expected to file annually as a condition for being on the Supreme Court.

Whether Thomas intended to be deceptive with the omissions is not clear. However, many claim that his wife's affiliations were common knowledge and that he'd simply misunderstood the rules. At the same time, the filing modification reignites conversation about the depth of his wife's activism within the Republican Party.

A few months ago, Virginia Thomas' affiliation with the Tea Party was noted by the media. She has also appeared on Fox News and other national media outlets, citing the "tyranny" of President Barack Obama. She used half a million dollars to launch Liberty Central, a nonpartisan Educational group that claims to teach "Founding Principles-limited government, personal responsibility, individual liberty, free enterprise, and national security."

Virginia Thomas' work with the Tea Party certainly serves to undermine the credibility of her husband's alleged impartiality on the Supreme Court. But some would say that there wasn't much credibility in the first place, at least as it pertains to Thomas' status as an African American judge. Nearly everything that Thomas represents is a reminder that the fight for equality goes deeper than the color of one's skin and that if we are deceived by one-dimensional measures of blackness, we are always going to end up disappointed.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.