[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 50 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 50

  Recognizing the historical importance of Associate Justice Clarence 
                                Thomas.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 12, 2017

  Mr. Sessions (for himself and Mr. Carter of Georgia) submitted the 
   following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 
 Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on House Administration, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 
                        the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Recognizing the historical importance of Associate Justice Clarence 
                                Thomas.

Whereas, in 1948, Clarence Thomas was born outside of Savannah, Georgia, in the 
        small community of Pin Point, Georgia;
Whereas Clarence Thomas was born into poverty and under segregation;
Whereas, notwithstanding his humble beginnings and the many impediments he 
        faced, Clarence Thomas demonstrated incredible intellect, discipline, 
        and strength in attending and graduating from St. Benedict the Moor 
        Catholic School, St. John Vianney Minor Seminar, the College of the Holy 
        Cross, and Yale Law School;
Whereas Clarence Thomas had a distinguished legal career with service in State 
        government and all branches of the Federal Government, including the 
        Senate, the Department of Education, the Equal Employment Opportunity 
        Commission, and the United States Court of Appeals for the District of 
        Columbia Circuit;
Whereas, on July 1, 1991, President George Herbert Walker Bush nominated 
        Clarence Thomas to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the 
        United States (in this preamble referred to as the ``Supreme Court'');
Whereas Justice Thomas is the second African American to serve on the Supreme 
        Court;
Whereas, during his quarter century on the Supreme Court, Justice Thomas has 
        made a unique and indelible contribution to the jurisprudence of the 
        United States;
Whereas Justice Thomas has propounded a jurisprudence that seeks to faithfully 
        apply the original meaning of the text of the Constitution of the United 
        States;
Whereas Justice Thomas has brought renewed focus to constitutional doctrines 
        that the Framers intended to undergird our republican form of 
        government, including federalism and the separation of powers;
Whereas, in fostering this philosophy of law, Justice Thomas reinvigorated not 
        only the jurisprudence of the United States, but also the democracy of 
        the United States;
Whereas Justice Thomas has been a remarkably prolific Associate Justice, writing 
        influential opinions on topics including constitutional law, 
        administrative law, and civil rights;
Whereas, on August 10, 1846, in the name of founding an establishment for the 
        increase and diffusion of knowledge, Congress established the 
        Smithsonian Institution as a trust to be administered by a Board of 
        Regents and a Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution;
Whereas diversity, including intellectual diversity, is a core value of the 
        Smithsonian Institution and the museums of the Smithsonian Institution 
        should capitalize on the richness inherent in differences;
Whereas, upon opening, the National Museum of African American History and 
        Culture (in this preamble referred to as the ``Museum'') is the only 
        national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African 
        American life, history, and culture;
Whereas the Museum omits the contribution made by Justice Thomas to the United 
        States; and
Whereas the House of Representatives is hopeful the Museum will reflect that 
        important contribution: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) Associate Justice Clarence Thomas is a historically 
        significant African American who has--
                    (A) overcome great challenges;
                    (B) served his country honorably for more than 35 
                years; and
                    (C) made an important contribution to the United 
                States, in particular the jurisprudence of the United 
                States; and
            (2) the life and work of Justice Thomas are an important 
        part of the story of African Americans in the United States and 
        should have a prominent place in the National Museum of African 
        American History and Culture.
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