[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 8 (Thursday, January 12, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S319]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    SENATE RESOLUTION 13--RECOGNIZING THE HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE OF 
                   ASSOCIATE JUSTICE CLARENCE THOMAS

  Mr. CORNYN (for himself, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Lee, Mr. Scott, and Mr. Cruz) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on the Judiciary:

                               S. Res. 13

       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 Senate is hopeful that the Museum will reflect 
     that important contribution: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate 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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