Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas says there's a reason he doesn't ask any questions at oral arguments -- even during the recent hearings on President Obama's health care law.

"I don't like to badger people," Thomas said last night during an appearance at the University of Kentucky. "These are not children. The court traditionally did not do that."

"I have been there 20 years," Thomas added. "I see no need for all of that. Most of that is in the briefs, and there are a few questions around the edges."

When asked about the questioning during the recent health care case, Thomas suggested that his colleagues do more listening.

"I don't see where that advances anything," Thomas said. "Maybe it's the Southerner in me. Maybe it's the introvert in me, I don't know. I think that when somebody's talking, somebody ought to listen."

The Associated Press also reported: