Third option: he turns it down because he likes STIGGINIT too much.
What’s funny is, NPR did an interview with a guy who wrote a book on Thomas, and one of the things he points out is how much Thomas hates affirmative action because of a deep-seated insecurity about his own accomplishments.
Which becomes the ultimate irony: the only reason Thomas is on SCOTUS is because Republicans wanted a black man to replace Thurgood Marshall, but without all the pesky “morals” and “ethics.” In other words, he obtained the pinnacle of his career… Because of his skin color.