If you follow the Supreme Court, you probably know that Justice Clarence Thomas hardly ever asks questions during oral argument. If you follow the court closely, you may know that Thomas often gives speeches, and that he has publicly explained his reticence on the bench. In April 2012 the Associated Press recounted one such speech, at the University of Kentucky:

Thomas suggested his loquacious colleagues should do more listening and less talking. "I don't see where that advances anything," he said of the questions. "Maybe it's the Southerner in me. Maybe it's the introvert in me, I don't know. I think...