Justice Clarence Thomas on Thursday became the second-longest-serving justice in U.S. Supreme Court history, surpassing Justice John Paul Stevens after more than 34 years on the bench. Thomas, 77, has become a powerhouse in the conservative legal movement, with his originalist jurisprudence now shaping the Supreme Court’s working majority. In recent years, Thomas has cast key votes to overturn Roe v. Wade, end affirmative action, strengthen gun rights, and expand religious liberty protections. In the landmark case weakening the Voting Rights Act, Thomas wrote a concurrence, calling race-based redistricting a “disastrous misadventure.” In total, he’s authored 835 Supreme Court opinions, according to SCOTUSBlog.  Cully Stimson, acting director of the Institute for Constitutional Government at the Heritage Foundation, called Thomas a “giant in the law.” “The only reason that the left and liberals hate him is because he doesn’t think the way they expect a black person to think, he’s a conservative, and that’s the cardinal sin that he committed,” Stimson told The Daily Wire. Born in Pin Point, Georgia, and raised in segregated Savannah, Thomas embodies the American Dream in many respects. His documentary, Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words, details his humble upbringing in poverty and learning the ropes of life from his grandfather. “He says to us, you’re going to go to school every day, and if you are sick, you’re still going, and if you die, I will take your body for three days to make sure you’re not faking,” Thomas said, recounting memories of his grandfather. “And he meant it. It’s one thing if somebody says it and you think they’re exaggerating — he wasn’t that kind of guy.”