 Associated Press Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas gave Ave Maria School of Law's first Ave Maria Lecture, which will be an annual event. |
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Associated Press Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas gave Ave Maria School of Law's first Ave Maria Lecture, which will be an annual event. |
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Thomas, one of the nine most powerful people in the country, conducted the school's first law lecture before some of the biggest names in Michigan jurisprudence.
For Ave Maria, a Catholic law school, it was the school's first big formal event in its short history.
And if Al Gore still needs tips on how to be an Alpha Male, he should just take notes from Thomas.
The justice, with his deep resonant voice, was clearly Numero Uno on Tuesday in a room of legal heavyweights that included other federal judges and law professors.
Sure, Thomas has rank. But that aside, he's the kind of guy everybody would notice in a room anyway. Whatever Gore is trying to buy through consultants, Thomas has it.
Officially, the justice gave the first Ave Maria Lecture, which will be an annual fall event at the school, founded in April by entrepreneur Tom Monaghan.
Having the Clarence Thomas is something of a coup for the school: Its first class won't begin until next fall, and already a Supreme Court Justice is at the lectern.
"I think this is a good idea, Mr. Monaghan," Thomas said, turning to the former owner of Domino's Pizza. "When I spend my money on pizza now, I know where to go."
In April, Monaghan kicked in $50 million to start up Ave Maria, billed as a school that will stress principles and ethics.
Thomas called the endeavor "very, very important."
"In our society now we have all these strange things going on," he said. "Well, what do you expect when there's no right and wrong, there's no up and down? You have amorality when there's no morality.
"And then we expect all the benefits of a moral society, a society in which people don't kill each other just because they have a disagreement."
Added the justice:
"I have never been mugged by people who went to church on Sunday.
"I walked to school every day in my Catholic uniform, in Savannah, Ga., in the '50s and in the '60s, I was never mugged. And I was a tiny little guy in the city of Savannah.
"You're trying to bring back what's lost," he said to Monaghan and Bernard Dobranski, dean of the new school. "That's very important. I encourage that. My hat's off to this endeavor."
Thomas is the second Supreme Court Justice linked to Ave Maria. Justice Antonin Scalia consulted with Monaghan and Dobranski in the start-up phase last spring.
It's got to be heady for the school. Respected jurists like Federal Appeals Court Judge James Ryan back the school. And among those with Thomas on Tuesday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on State Street were U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn and former state Atty. Gen. Frank Kelley.
Some law schools feel graced if a county judge stops by to chat.
In the formal part of his address, Thomas defended state's rights. He's part of a 5-4 Supreme Court majority reviving the idea that our 50 states are sovereign, not just administrative departments of the national government.
If I read Thomas right, states should be an aggressive check on a predatory federal power. The founding fathers wanted it that way. Translated, that means that our pals in Lansing are shirking their duties, if incursions by the EPA and other agencies are any indication. Our state Legislature has become a giant, bumbling city council, far from a branch of a sovereign state empowered to keep Washington in check.
Here's Thomas' take on it:
"When that power goes to Washington, do you know what's in those gray buildings? We pass those great buildings every day and don't know who labors in there. We know that these huge regulations come out. Do you feel represented when those regs come out?"
Nobody in the room said yes.
And this from Thomas on limiting federal power:
"Think of a speck of dust in this room. One single speck. There is nothing in our jurisprudence that says the government can't regulate that one individual speck of dust in Ann Arbor, Mich., in Crowne Plaza Hotel. Now explain to me, when you read the constitution, where the authority to regulate that speck comes from? If the government can regulate that speck, tell me what it can't regulate from the national level.
"The mere fact that we don't even bother to be concerned by the absence of a limiting principle on the national government is a huge threat.
"Where has large centralized government existed compatibly with individual liberty? I ask this question and I wish somebody someday would give me a good answer."
Nor is Thomas going to let any bunny-hugging arguments chip at rights of the Second Amendment, which deals with guns. After all, he says, it is a part of our Constitutional framework.
In a short question-and-answer period, Thomas was asked who influenced him the most in his life.
The grandparents who raised him, he said.
"The greatest homilies that ever take place are actions. You get up every day and you see two people who get out the gospel music every morning -my grandmother Baptist, my grandfather Catholic.
"You go to school every day. You get in trouble. You get out of trouble. You watch them as they live their lives. You emulate it. Then later on in your life you see yourself become exactly what they were.
"The older I get the brighter my grandfather is.
"The man's a genius."
Thomas said he can't think of a single thing his grandparents did wrong.
As he explained his childhood, this thought popped in my head: I would hate to go before his bench to whine for more federal subsidies for day care.
"They were never dishonest," he said of his grandparents. "They were never hypocritical. They were always there. They were always good examples. They demanded respect. They demanded good citizenship. My grandfather was always the first one at the polls when he got the right to vote. He looked after the neighbors. "He shared with his neighbors."
And that, folks, is a brief glimpse into the intellect of a man who, at age 51, will be on the court a long time to shape the look of the next century.
George Bullard is Detroit News religion writer. His column appears Saturdays. His e-mail address is bullard@detnews.com. For more faith news visit http://detnews.com/religion/
ANN ARBOR -- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas rolled into town this week to visit the Ave Maria School of Law -- and he gave the budding endeavor a ringing endorsement.
Wouldn't Thomas make a great VP candidate? (Particularly with Buchanan, but even with Bush.) Of course, the article is correct. He is currently one of the nine most powerful men in the country. VP would be a demotion.
This man is our best justice on the supreme court, his beliefs are deeply founded, and he is loathe to compromise.
If only we had a few more like him, the tendency of the executive branch to overstep its boundaries would come to a screeching halt.
"Where has large centralized government existed compatibly with individual liberty? I ask this question and I wish somebody someday would give me a good answer."
Long live Justice Thomas. Say what you want about Bush Sr., but he nominated Thomas and stood by him when the chips were down.
bump.
bttt
I was trying to find a recent WSJ article on Monaghan and stumbled upon this. Two great men.
Heck! Looks like I picked the wrong weekend to leave MI!
I LOVE this! Go, THOMAS, GO!
"I have never been mugged by people who went to church on Sunday.
Better not go to New York city, Judge. The main church there is called, 'Democrats for Haysuess.'
Thomas would be a great veep candidate. Would he have to step down from the court to run? Gore certainly doesn't have to step down from his job to run, nor does Bush.
Whenever I raise this, people immediately answer "we need him on the Court." These people forget, however, that Thomas is only one of nine on the court. As President (veep would be a necessary stepping stone to this), he would be the most powerful man in the world and could appoint *several* Clarence Thomas type justices.
Again, this could be a win-win situation for Thomas and for liberty. The naysayers to Thomas need to anwer this question: What is to prevent Thomas from staying on the court during the three months of the campaign while he runs as veep? If Dubya loses, he could remain on the court.
Monaghan Ponders Nation's Soul [Our next VP?]
Monaghan would be a great VP!
I think he would make a great Senator from Michigan too!
Abraham and Levin are absolutely awful.
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