A rare public address from the Supreme Court’s longest-serving justice delivered a stark warning about the direction of the country.
Clarence Thomas took aim at modern progressivism Wednesday night, arguing it poses a direct challenge to the philosophical foundation of the United States.
Speaking at the University of Texas at Austin as part of events marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas urged Americans — especially younger generations — to reengage with the nation’s founding ideals.
He warned that those principles have “fallen out of favor” and are being replaced by ideas that shift the source of individual rights.
“Progressivism seeks to replace the basic premises of the Declaration of Independence, and hence our form of government,” Thomas said.
“It holds that our rights and our dignities come not from God, but from the government,” he added, arguing that such a framework demands “subservience and weakness” incompatible with the Constitution’s design.
Thomas also sounded the alarm on what he described as a growing cultural shift marked by “cynicism, rejection, hostility and animus.”
He reserved particular criticism for self-described moderates and intellectuals, saying some adopt labels like “institutionalists” or “pragmatists” to rationalize failures of leadership and principle.
“They recast themselves… as a way of justifying their failures to themselves, their consciences, and their country,” he said.
The remarks fit squarely within Thomas’s long-standing originalist view of the Constitution, emphasizing a return to first principles at a moment he framed as pivotal for the country.
But the speech was not just critique—it was also a call to action.
Thomas urged students and viewers to take ownership of the nation’s future and resist what he sees as a drift away from foundational truths.
“I think if we don’t stand up and take ownership of our country… we are slowly letting others control how we think and what we think,” he said.
Invoking the courage of the nation’s founders, he challenged the next generation to match their resolve.
“In my view, we must find in ourselves that same level of courage that the signers of the Declaration have,” he said.
The stakes, Thomas suggested, are nothing less than the durability of American democracy itself.
“If you think it’s losing confidence, then you get up and you participate,” he said. “You don’t sit on the sidelines.”
Watch the address below:
WATCH LIVE: Justice Thomas speaks at UT Austin for America's 250th anniversary https://t.co/I35oyWZp8G
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 15, 2026
