Justice Thomas' Remarks Inspire Teen Essayists

Washington

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is noted for rarely speaking during the court’s oral arguments, as well as for years of self-imposed exile from the public eye after his bruising 1991 confirmation hearings.

But the justice has long made selective speeches to welcoming, usually conservative groups.

This week, Justice Thomas was the keynote speaker for an annual awards dinner at a national student-essay contest sponsored by the Bill of Rights Institute, an Arlington, Va.-based organization that develops instructional materials about...