Jessica Babb | Broadcast Managing Editor
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas spoke in Waco on Thursday, September 7.
The event, a Conversation with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, was hosted by McLennan Community College, where a panel asked Thomas questions about his life and time presiding in the court. Community members on the panel were Judge Ken Starr; Andria Ramon, a professor of government at MCC; and Ashley Cruseturner, a professor of history at MCC.
Within a packed auditorium, Thomas talked about many of the experiences he wrote about in his best-selling book “My Grandfather’s Son,” where he details overcoming obstacles like poverty and oppression.
In addition to his book, Thomas mentioned how his faith has acted as a foundation to his career. He said God would give him “the wisdom to know what’s right and the courage to do it.”
Even though Thomas is known for his conservative court decisions, he emphasized the importance of disagreeing with other justices in a respectful manner.
“It is our job to do hard things in a civil way,” Thomas said.
Thomas encouraged the audience to look past disagreements and focus more on commonalities shared between one another.
“I think he has a great approach to the law, to the legal systemm and the way our constitution should be looked at,” said Round Rock junior Kristopher Ruiz.
Thomas was appointed to the court in October of 1991 and is currently the second most tenured justice.
