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Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas drew gasps on Monday when he asked several questions during oral arguments.


Thomas, who hadn't asked a question since Feb. 22, 2006, broke 10 years of near silence during a case, 

, involving a federal law preventing people convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence from owning firearms.


The justices were hearing appeals from two Maine men who say their guilty pleas for hitting their partners should not disqualify them from gun ownership. The hourlong session was coming to a close when Thomas leaned forward and spoke into the microphone to ask Justice Department lawyer Ilana Eisenstein whether a misdemeanor conviction of any other law "suspends a constitutional right," The Associated Press reports.


Thomas has been criticized in the past for failing to engage during oral arguments. The 

Thomas' 10 years of silence from the bench does come with an asterisk. In 2013, he 

 — four words — which was interpreted as a self-deprecating jab at his alma mater, Yale.  

Crime, Law and Justice

Thomas, who hadn't asked a question since Feb. 22, 2006, drew gasps from people at the Supreme Court when he questioned a lawyer during oral arguments Monday.

Clarence Thomas asks 1st question from Supreme Court bench in 10 years

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