The Center for Religious Liberty at The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law (Catholic Law) hosted Judge Amul R. Thapar of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on Tuesday, March 5, to discuss his 2023 biography of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, The People’s Justice. Hosted in the William J. Byron, S.J. Auditorium, the discussion was introduced by Center co-director William L. Saunders, Jr., and led by Catholic Law professor and Center co-director Mark Rienzi, who asked the judge questions regarding the book’s development, choice of included court cases, and gaining the biography greater publicity. Judge Thapar engaged in a lively back-and-forth with audience members, answering questions and recounting stories of his interviews with Thomas and plaintiffs in whose favor the justice had often written opinions.

Catholic Law’s Center for Religious Liberty is an academic center dedicated to the study and articulation of the Catholic approach to religious liberty, which declares, in line with not only the U.S. Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but also the Church’s own constitution, that religious liberty is a fundamental human right for all persons, regardless of faith. The Center aims to increase discussion and understanding of these issues by hosting speakers, organizing conferences, awarding writing prizes, providing educational programming, and commenting on religious liberty issues in the public square.