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21 Ohio N.U. L. Rev. 5 (1994-1995)
Freedom: A Responsibility, Not a Right - Kormendy Lecture

handle is hein.journals/onulr21 and id is 15 raw text is: Freedom: A Responsibility, Not A Right Kormendy Lecture Delivered by Justice Clarence Thomas It is delightful to be here tonight. It is always a joy to get to see the rest of the country and not just the marble walls of the Court. I am also most fortunate that my best friend, my wife, Virginia, was able to accompany me on this trip. As I near the end of my third term on the Court, I can say without equivocation that the Court and my colleagues have far exceeded all my expectations. Quite frankly, my move to the Court was so swift that I had not thought much about the integral workings of the Court. I had, however, been somewhat deceived by the sharp exchanges in the opinions that I had read. I was pleasantly surprised to find that such exchanges began and ended there. The civility of the Court is extraordinary. We begin our day of sitting or conference with a traditional handshake. This always seems to set the tone-then we get down to work in a civil way. One not so pleasant surprise has bgen the relentless pace of the work. From the beginning of the Term to its conclusion, there is very little opportunity to let up. But with that said, I am far more comfortable this Term with both the work and the pace of the Court, and I anticipate that I will become increasingly more comfortable as time passes. Some of my more senior colleagues have suggested that it takes about five years to become fully adjusted to the Court. I will have to make that judgment in retrospect, as they have. Late last year, I had the pleasant occasion to speak at the annual conference of the Missouri Bar Association. In thinking about that speech, I recalled a conversation with my grandfather in the spring of 1968, just prior to my twentieth birthday. I had decided to leave the seminary. This decision was entirely my own and was contrary to my commitment to my grandfather (made at the age of 15) that I would not quit. Needless to say, it was also contrary to his wishes. After a minor dispute over an unrelated matter, he simply told me that since I was man enough to make such important decisions, I was man enough to take care of myself. At the time and for years afterward, I thought that this was unnecessarily harsh treatment. In retrospect, I have come to understand that he was not being harsh, but rather, realistic and consistent. In fact, he was merely delivering on a promise he had made throughout the years my brother and I lived in his house.

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