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Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, appointed by President George H. W. Bush, sits with fellow Supreme Court justices for a group portrait at the Supreme Court Building in Washington, on Nov. 30, 2018. J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo
In 2016, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas delivered the commencement address to graduates at Hillsdale College in Michigan. While many speakers use commencement addresses to boost graduates’ confidence with lofty platitudes about following one’s dreams or believing in one’s potential, Justice Thomas chose to go a different route.
Timothy S. Goeglein is the vice president of government and external relations at Focus on the Family and the co-author of the new book “What Really Matters: Restoring a Legacy of Faith, Freedom, and Family” (Fidelis, 2026).
