[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.