    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
    [July 29, 1997]
    [Page 1023]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 1023]]

    Remarks at the Funeral Service for Justice William J. Brennan, Jr.
    July 29, 1997

        Mrs. Brennan, members of the Brennan family, Justices of the Supreme
    Court, Members of Congress, the administration, Father Jordan, Father
    O'Hara, Monsignor: Throughout our history, a few powerful ideals have
    transformed the lives of our people. And throughout our history, there
    have been a few individuals so devoted to those ideals they could hammer
    them on the anvil of history to reshape our land and our future.
        Often, when our Nation could have fractured, a few have stepped into
    the breach, bringing us together and moving us forward. Justice Brennan
    found the ideals in the Constitution time and time again. And time and
    time again, he stepped into the breach to hammer them on the anvil of
    our history, saving us from our darker impulses and always pulling us
    together and pushing us forward. We thank God for his life and work, for
    Justice Brennan's America is America at its best.
        Today we recall his decency and grace which made out of his
    philosophical foes some close, personal friends. We recall his humor and
    humility, we recall his pride in his own heritage and the stunning,
    almost inexplicable empathy that enabled him to walk in the shoes of
    those whose lives were so very different from his own. We recall him as
    a legal giant, the balance wheel who molded the Supreme Court into an
    instrument of liberty and equality during tumultuous times.
        For Justice Brennan, the phrases of our Constitution were not
    archaic abstractions but living, vibrant guarantees of the freedom and
    equality God has given us. Because of him, those old words came alive in
    our lives as well. Think of it: Today, the votes of all Americans have
    equal weight because of Justice Brennan. The press can freely and
    robustly debate the great issues of the day because of Justice Brennan.
    Mr. Justice, you'll have to forgive the elected officials here if we
    have, time to time, doubted the wisdom of that decision--[laughter]--
    which probably proves its correctness. Women can break down the barriers
    of discrimination in the workplace because of Justice Brennan. The basic
    freedoms of the Bill of Rights apply to every State in America, giving
    ordinary citizens redress when their rights have been violated by
    government, because of Justice Brennan. Lives were lifted up and
    Americans summoned to live to our highest ideals because of Justice
    Brennan.
        As a young man growing up in the South, I lived through the shame of
    segregation. I know what it meant when the Supreme Court spoke
    unanimously and said Little Rock Central High School must open its doors
    to all. Then, I knew things would never be the same. Now, I know that
    this transformation was written into our law by Justice Brennan. He
    became a hero to me, a model for law and service, a real belief to me
    that if law could serve justice and equality then, 25 years ago, young
    people like Hillary and me could go into the law, because we thought,
    like him, we could make a difference by upholding the Constitution's
    dignity and meaning and working to make it more real in the lives of all
    Americans.
        One of the greatest honors of my Presidency was to bestow on him,
    and posthumously his friend Justice Marshall, the Presidential Medal of
    Freedom.
        Tonight the Sun will set over the hills of Arlington National
    Cemetery on the first night of Justice Brennan's residence there. But
    the life he lived will never be extinguished, and the life he breathed
    into our most cherished ideals will never die. He loved his country
    fiercely. He gave himself to it fully. He strengthened it profoundly,
    and we are all better for it. We thank God for his life and commend his
    soul to the Almighty.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:23 a.m. at St. Matthew's Cathedral. In
    his remarks, he referred to Justice Brennan's widow, Mary; Father Milton
    E. Jordan, pastor, Mother Seton Parish, Germantown, MD; Father John
    O'Hara, priest, Diocese of Arlington; and Monsignor Ronald Jameson,
    rector, St. Matthew's Cathedral. The proclamation of July 24 on the
    death of Justice Brennan is listed in Appendix D at the end of this
    volume.