<\/p>\n
University of Texas President Jim Davis gives a jersey to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas who spoke during a special lecture celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Hogg Memorial Auditorium at the University of Texas on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas answers questions after his special lecture celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Hogg Memorial Auditorium at the University of Texas on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
An audience member takes a photo of the program before U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas spoke during a special lecture celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Hogg Memorial Auditorium at the University of Texas on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas speaks during a special lecture celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Hogg Memorial Auditorium at the University of Texas on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas walks onto the stage for his special lecture celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Hogg Memorial Auditorium at the University of Texas on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas speaks during a special lecture celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Hogg Memorial Auditorium at the University of Texas on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and University of Texas Provost William Inboden stand after a question-and-answer session following Thomas\u2019 special lecture celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Hogg Memorial Auditorium at the University of Texas on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas answers questions read by University of Texas Provost William Inboden after his special lecture celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Hogg Memorial Auditorium at the University of Texas on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas answers questions after his special lecture celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Hogg Memorial Auditorium at the University of Texas on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas waves after he spoke during a special lecture celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Hogg Memorial Auditorium at the University of Texas on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
Conservative activist Harlan Crow talks to people in the audience after U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas gave a special lecture celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Hogg Memorial Auditorium at the University of Texas on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
Virginia Thomas, wife of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, talks with conservative activist Harlan Crow after Clarence Thomas\u2019 special lecture celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Hogg Memorial Auditorium at the University of Texas on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
Conservative activist Harlan Crow talks to people in the audience after U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas gave a special lecture celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Hogg Memorial Auditorium at the University of Texas on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas waves after he spoke during a special lecture celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Hogg Memorial Auditorium at the University of Texas on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
Virginia Thomas, wife of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, talks with conservative activist Harlan Crow after Clarence Thomas\u2019 special lecture celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Hogg Memorial Auditorium at the University of Texas on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas answers questions after his special lecture celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Hogg Memorial Auditorium at the University of Texas on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas speaks during a special lecture celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Hogg Memorial Auditorium at the University of Texas on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas answers questions read by University of Texas Provost William Inboden after his special lecture celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Hogg Memorial Auditorium at the University of Texas on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
University of Texas President Jim Davis introduces U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas who spoke during a special lecture celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Hogg Memorial Auditorium at the University of Texas on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas walks onto the stage for his special lecture celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Hogg Memorial Auditorium at the University of Texas on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
An audience member takes a photo of the program before U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas spoke during a special lecture celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Hogg Memorial Auditorium at the University of Texas on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas speaks during a special lecture celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Hogg Memorial Auditorium at the University of Texas on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas answers questions after his special lecture celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Hogg Memorial Auditorium at the University of Texas on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas <\/a>on Wednesday praised the University of Texas as a national leader for its work to restore\u00a0civic values and more closely focus on the study of\u00a0Western civilization<\/a>.<\/p>\n The University of Texas School of Civic Leadership invited Thomas to campus to deliver a nearly hour-long lecture to an invited audience at UT\u2019s Hogg Memorial Auditorium. University leaders, professors and students from the School of Civic Leadership attended, as did Republican billionaire\u00a0Harlan Crow, who\u00a0was integral to the founding of the Civitas Institute at the university<\/a>. <\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Thomas and Crow have a reportedly close personal relationship \u2014 ProPublica reporting revealed in 2023 <\/a>that throughout Thomas’ time as a Supreme Court justice, he has accepted luxury vacations from Crow.<\/p>\n Get the latest UT news from Lily Kepner delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for Inside UT.<\/a><\/p>\n In Thomas’ remarks, the justice warned the crowd that America\u2019s values are under threat. As the U.S. celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence\u2019s signing, citizens need to vigorously defend the founding document\u2019s principles of equality, freedom and liberty with conviction and courage against those motivated by greed, power or un-American ideals, Thomas said.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope that my talk today can help in some small way inaugurate another great initiative the state of Texas has planned to restore the teaching of civic education and Western civilization at a central place in this flagship university,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cYour plans could not have come at a more important moment for our nation.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n University President Jim Davis <\/a>introduced Thomas as a man with a Longhorn spirit that every student, lawyer and citizen can learn from. He gifted the justice a custom Longhorns jersey to celebrate his trip to campus, emblazoned with a \u201c91\u201d as a reference to\u00a0the year he was appointed to the nation\u2019s highest court.<\/p>\n Thomas, the longest-serving member of the Supreme Court at 34 years on the bench, told the audience he grew up in the Jim Crow South in Georgia, where he too often saw those in power ignore the declaration\u2019s promises.\u00a0<\/p>\n The justice, who is Black, spoke at length about the promise of equality, deploring past courts for permitting slavery and segregation despite the declaration\u2019s promise that \u201call men are created equal.\u201d He remembers his grandparents sitting him down in 1955 to promise that he would have more opportunities than they had, instilling in him the conviction to live out his values.<\/p>\n \u201cRacial discrimination was grossly incompatible (with) our own Constitution. The justices must have known it all along,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cFor 60 disgraceful years, they made American children like me grow up in a racial caste system, because it was easier to do than to do the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Thomas focused closely on the last line in the declaration that states the government derives \u201ctheir just powers from the consent of the governed,\u201d putting the responsibility on citizens to protect the country\u2019s ideals. He praised men and women, like Martin Luther King\u00a0Jr. and former President Abraham Lincoln, who have protected and upheld American values even when it was unpopular.<\/p>\n \u201cWe the people can never willingly consent to the violation of our God-given equality,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cWhat changed the world was not words, but the commitment and spirit of the people who are willing to labor, sacrifice and even give their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n Thomas spoke out against\u00a0current bigotry, naming antisemitism as a problem that must be addressed.\u00a0He made no mention of prejudice against LGBTQ people, whose right to marriage Thomas has said the court should revisit<\/a>, or women, who lost their constitutional right to abortion under a 2022 Supreme Court decision.<\/p>\n Instead, he decried \u201cprogressivism\u201d as a threat to the Declaration of Independence, arguing the way of governing\u00a0is incompatible with the country\u2019s founding values. Tracing the ideology\u2019s origins to President Woodrow Wilson, who led the country from 1913 to 1921, Thomas defined progressivism as the belief that \u201cour rights\u2026 come not from God, but from government,\u201d giving more control to those in power to enforce and define freedoms.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n He said the country\u2019s embrace of progressive principles came during a\u00a0period that also saw the rise of eugenics and the dictators Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a terrible mistake to adopt progressive rejection of the declaration\u2019s vision of universal, unalienable, natural rights,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cWilson\u2019s claim that natural rights must give way to historical progress could justify the greatest mistake in our history.\u201d<\/p>\n UT students held a small protest Wednesday against the event, marching from the South Mall to the Hogg Memorial Auditorium during the event.\u00a0Student demonstrators also\u00a0protested the university\u2019s consolidation of ethnic studies departments<\/a> and declining transparency, according to CBS News reporting<\/a>. Several community members stood across the street from the event, heckling audience members as they left.<\/p>\n In a question and answer session with UT Provost William\u00a0Inboden after Thomas’ lecture concluded, the justice joked about needing to learn what artificial intelligence is, disapproving of former Justice Antonin Scalia\u2019s hunting hobby\u00a0and favoring the Nebraska\u00a0Cornhuskers over UT Longhorns in football.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n He also stood by his\u00a0originalist approach as a judge, saying the founding documents are an enduring source of guidance.<\/p>\n Thomas concluded his remarks by praising UT\u2019s School of Civic Leadership as a place for students to debate styles of government effectively and embrace American values. He urged students to celebrate the anniversary of the founding document by \u201cstanding up for it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you want to correct something you think is wrong,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cThen stand up and do it.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"University of Texas President Jim Davis gives a jersey to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas who spoke…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":253147,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,134,133],"class_list":{"0":"post-253146","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-austin","8":"tag-austin","9":"tag-austin-headlines","10":"tag-austin-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=253146"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253146\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/253147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=253146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=253146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=253146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\n