Clarence Thomas: Standing Up For What’s Right

“It’s not my Constitution to play around with.”

I’ve read many quotations from Clarence Thomas over the years, especially now, as he marks 25 years as an associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. But this particular one, drawn from something he said to The Wall Street Journal a few years ago, really struck home with me.

It cuts to the heart of why he’s been such an outstanding member of the high court during the last quarter century. Simply put, he gets it.

Unlike other justices, past and present, with a lamentable skill for discovering all kinds of unexpected “rights” and hidden meanings in our nation’s charter, Justice Thomas does something quite radical: he sticks to the actual text.

“I don’t feel I have any particular right to put my gloss on your Constitution,” he said. “My job is simply to interpret it.”

I like that -- “your Constitution.” As in “We the People.” Justice Thomas recognizes that it’s the document by which the governed -- you and me -- define exactly what the government can and can’t do.

Very few people know the “American Dream” quite as well as Justice Thomas. That a man could rise from such humble beginnings in Pin Point, Ga., to sit on the bench of the most powerful court in the world is a true testament to his will, his intelligence, his drive and his perseverance.

It’s also a stirring commentary on the greatness of our nation. In no other country could Clarence Thomas come from where he did, and end up where he is. His is a uniquely American story of triumph in every sense.

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