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Clarence Thomas Urges Free-Speech Defense on Constitution’s 250th Anniversary

5/15/2026

Summary

Story summary

Justice Clarence Thomas urged Americans to mark the 250th anniversary by defending beliefs under the Constitution’s free-speech protections.
He delivered the remarks at a judicial conference near Miami and responded to an interview with clerk Kasdin Mitchell, whom President Donald Trump nominated to a federal judgeship in Dallas.
He reflected on his segregated-South upbringing, cited Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln, and gave no indication of retirement.

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Story summary

Justice Clarence Thomas urged Americans to mark the 250th anniversary by defending beliefs under the Constitution’s free-speech protections.
He delivered the remarks at a judicial conference near Miami and responded to an interview with clerk Kasdin Mitchell, whom President Donald Trump nominated to a federal judgeship in Dallas.
He reflected on his segregated-South upbringing, cited Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln, and gave no indication of retirement.