Constitutional Law

Justice Thomas Notes a 'Proliferation of Rights'

Before a group of high school students at a gathering sponsored by the Bill of Rights Institution, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas reminisced on his childhood, described some trying times while serving on the high court and suggested that the nation is too consumed with individual rights. 'I tend to be morose sometimes,' Thomas told the winners of high school essay contest at a Washington, D.C. ballroom. He added, The New York Times reported, that, 'I am rounding the last turn for my 18th term on the court, this endeavor.'

Later, Thomas, as The Times reported, signaled a dispassion for the Bill of Rights. 'Today there is much focus on our rights,' he said. 'Indeed, I think there is a proliferation of rights. I am often surprised by the virtual nobility that seems to be accorded those with grievances. Shouldn't there at least be equal time for our Bill of Obligations and our Bill of Responsibilities?' He added that, 'It seems that many come to think that each of us is owed prosperity and a certain standard of living. They're owed air conditioning, cars, telephones, televisions.'

As SCOTUSblog notes, oral arguments will not resume at the high court until April 20. On April 22, the justices will consider a case regarding an exam given by a city to determine promotions for firefighters. The city dismissed results of the exam saying it was slanted against minority test-takers. A group of white firefighters sued the city saying they were discriminated against. Tomorrow at the National Press club, ACS will host a panel of leading civil rights and employment law experts to explore the issued involved in Ricci v. DeStefano.

Full post as published by ACS Blog on April 13, 2009 (boomark / email).