Progressives are wrong about Clarence Thomas. And they have been for decades.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is an honorable man, impeccable jurist and great legal mind. Calls for him to be impeached, recuse himself on certain cases, or resign from the U.S. Supreme Court are preposterous and without merit.

The news media and Democrats in Congress have a problem with Thomas because he is a conservative judge who does not subscribe to the progressive box they want him to be in.

When I first moved to Washington, D.C., as a recent graduate from Pepperdine University to work at the White House, I had the honor of meeting with Thomas in his office. We talked about his book, “My Grandfather’s Son,” and I told him how much I identified with his story of being raised by his grandfather. I admire how his values, work ethic and spirit remain with him today.

Thomas' grandfather set an example

Thomas told me he is not a partisan activist the way the left makes him out to be, but an advocate of freedom and the Constitution. He said his grandfather was the freest man he ever met, and now, sitting on the highest court of the land for a lifetime appointment, he too is free. Free to think, dream and live the life he wants for himself and his family. That was the American Dream, and he is living it as a conservative minded, Black American who loves the Constitution.

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Some on the left hate the idea of a Black conservative. Don’t believe me? Look at how progressives go out of their way to besmirch character, isolate and belittle prominent Black conservatives in America. Some liberals seek to shame us because they can’t fathom how we think for ourselves. Even Joe Biden, when he was campaigning for president, called our Blackness into question.

Jackson said she didn't know that Judge Janice Rogers Brown's nomination to the federal bench was filibustered for two years by Senate Democrats. Why? Brown is a Black conservative, so it's not worth knowing that, despite her having been once on the verge of becoming the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. Liberals could not have that history-making moment go to a Black conservative; it needed to be a liberal.

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Jackson also has said she doesn't understand Thomas. What is there not to understand? Again, she should take the time to read his book or watch his new documentary to learn about his political evolution from a liberal young man to the conservative-minded judge he is today.

Thomas' wife doesn't influence him

The idea that Thomas needs to step aside is without merit. Just because his wife is a political activist with her own mind, connections and platform does not mean she influences the way he rules on the Supreme Court.

There are many examples of spouses having differing views on issues and not impacting the way the spouse with the decision-making power acts. Think of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt, President Gerald Ford and Betty Ford, President George W. Bush and Laura Bush, and President Donald Trump and Melania Trump. Kellyanne Conway and Mary Matalin served when their husbands had differing views.

Legal scholar Jonathan Turley has argued that Thomas should not recuse himself from a broad range of cases, be impeached or resign from the high court based off his wife’s activism.

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Ginni Thomas told The Washington Free Beacon: "Like so many married couples, we share many of the same ideals, principles, and aspirations for America, but we have our own separate careers, and our own ideas and opinions too. Clarence doesn't discuss his work with me, and I don't involve him in my work."

Democrats were successful at leading a campaign to force Justice Stephen Breyer into retirement because he is 83 years old, but they won't succeed at forcing out Thomas because he is a Black conservative on the highest court of the land.

Paris Dennard is the national spokesperson and director of Black Media Affairs for the Republican National Committee. Follow him on Twitter: @PARISDENNARD.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What progressives get wrong about Clarence Thomas. Everything.