Justice Thomas at 25 Years on the Court
There’s almost no one in Washington I admire more than Clarence Thomas–as a man and a public servant. As a White House staffer back in 1991, I played a minor role in his confirmation fight, helping allies in the White House Counsel’s office and the Justice Department in the struggle against enemies without and some who wanted to capitulate within. I’m proud of my small part in that effort. And I’ve always thought President Bush didn’t get enough credit for nominating and sticking by Thomas, and that making possible his tenure on the Supreme Court is one of the signal accomplishments of that administration.
Yesterday marked a quarter-century for Justice Thomas on the Court. He’s produced a body of significant and even remarkable jurisprudence that we’ve had occasion to consider recently in two major articles, by Dan McLaughlin in 2015 and Adam White a few months ago. I highly recommend the two articles as starting points to understand his achievements.
And I recommend supplementing them with a newly released conversation with Justice Clarence Thomas on Conversations with Bill Kristol. In this conversation, Justice Thomas shares personal reflections on the Court, his jurisprudence, and the people, ideas, institutions, and experiences that have influenced him. Justice Thomas also reflects on his late colleague and friend Justice Antonin Scalia. I think you’ll enjoy and learn from the conversation–and get a candid and revealing glimpse of an extraordinary man.
By the way, in preparing for the conversation, I happened to reread a short appreciation I wrote in THE WEEKLY STANDARD in 2007 of Thomas’s memoir, My Grandfather’s Son. I heartily recommend the book, and would repeat now what I wrote then:
Wisdom and courage: These are the themes of My Grandfather’s Son. Thomas offers an education in practical wisdom and moral courage….
Thomas’s memoir raises fundamental questions of love and responsibility, family and character. His book is a brief for the stern and vigorous virtues, but in a context of faith and love. It’s a delightful book–you really can’t put it down–but it’s also a source of moral education for young Americans. It could be almost as important a contribution to his beloved country as Clarence Thomas’s work as a Supreme Court justice.
I concluded the 2007 piece by arguing that the memoir “suggests one more contribution he could make. Thomas in 2012!” Justice Thomas has resisted entreaties to run, and has (probably wisely!) stayed on the Court. Looking at this year’s race, how fervently I wish we could have Thomas in 2016! But we will have to settle for his extraordinary contributions on the Court to the revival of American constitutionalism, and for the remarkable example he’s provided of personal courage, manly dignity and American patriotism.
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Fifteen Days
Meanwhile, we have fifteen days left in the 2016 presidential race. It shouldn’t be too bad–between four and seven evenings of this stretch will be occupied by an interesting World Series. We’ll also have two Saturdays of college football. The NFL? Geoffrey Norman’s cover story in the new WEEKLY STANDARD, “The NFL In Decline,” gives me a rationale for doing what I was doing anyway–no longer spending so much time watching the pros–but I may make an exception for the two Sundays before the election. Then there’s the new Jack Reacher movie–I know, the first one wasn’t very good, and Tom Cruise is badly cast Reacher–still, it’s got to be worth two hours one evening. And a new Michael Connelly mystery featuring LA detective Harry Bosch comes out next week. So I should be able to make it through Election Day without descending entirely into the slough of despond.
Speaking of sports, I was going to dilate at length on the big sports news of the week–which was obviously Harvard’s victory in overtime over Princeton. (Harvard and Princeton were undefeated in Ivy League conference play.) But I don’t want to seem to gloat. I guess there’s also the Cubs making the World Series for the first time in 71 years, but I’ll wait till next week to deliver my weighty thoughts on that. For one thing, if I seem today in any way to slight the Indians’ chances, my colleague Jim Swift will be fuming all week, and if I disparage the overly-beloved Cubs, Joe Epstein might stop contributing to THE WEEKLY STANDARD. So for now, silence is golden.
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Hertog Summer 2017 Fellowships & Seminars
Meanwhile, to try to ensure that 2016 is a nadir in our political life rather than a new normal or, God forbid, a harbinger of worse to come, let’s make sure our young people are better educated than we are. To that end, I’m pleased to announce that the Hertog Foundation, which does so much good work in the educational sphere, is again seeking nominations of excellent college students for its Summer 2017 fellowships and seminars.
There are three offerings for college undergraduates and recent grads:
- Political Studies Program – The flagship seven-week fellowship will run from June 18 to August 5, 2017 in Washington D.C., and is designed primarily for college upperclassmen and recent grads, although they have accepted exceptional freshmen and sophomores in the past.
- War Studies Program – A two-week fellowship offered by Kim and Fred Kagan at the Institute for the Study of War. This program is also best-suited to juniors, seniors, and recent grads.
- Summer Courses – This series of one- to two-week seminars allows students to create their own individualized course of study. Younger students are encouraged to apply for these seminars, as are upperclassmen who have other obligations during the summer.
Nominating candidates is easy. Simply share the candidate’s name and email with Cheryl Miller, Managing Director of the Foundation, at [email protected]
After all, if the present is depressing, focus on the future. Or the past. Or read fiction.
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Onward!
Bill Kristol
