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The Keeper of the Flame: The Supreme Court Opinions of Justice Clarence Thomas (1991-2005)

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For a decade and a half now, Clarence Thomas has been a proverbial "thorn in the side" of liberalism. They just don't know how to take someone who goes against every fiber of their being. The American system so successfully constructed by liberal lawmakers has simply failed them, therefore, they do the only thing they know how, they attack him. With a tenaciously dogged vengeance, they attack him. A black man is suppose to stay on the plantation and be a good democrat, keeping them in office while waiting for the next handout. A black man in America isn't supposed to pull himself up out of poverty. The Democrat created and nurtured system just isn't designed for such an anomaly. So they attack him. At every venue, with every ruling, and for unfounded reasons other than shear loathing, they attack him.

For fourteen years now, only Justice Antonin Scalia has joined Justice Clarence Thomas as the only consistent voices to the original intent of the Constitution. Over the fourteen year span, from 1991 to 2005, as a presiding Supreme Court Judge, Justice Thomas rendered 327 judicial opinions. Each opinion is presented in the book, THE KEEPER OF THE FLAME by Henry Mark Holzer. This extraordinary piece of work goes far beyond previous works regarding Thomas' distinguished career, and is presented in common language that those of us with non-judicial backgrounds can easily comprehend.

This is not a biography of the life of Clarence Thomas. For that, see Clarence Thomas: A Biography, by Andrew Peyton Thomas, a 600-page behemoth that chronicles every aspect of his life. No, this is a close examination of every one of the 327 written opinions Thomas rendered from appointment until the books publication. This book lends clear and concise illustration, primarily in Thomas' own words, to his methodology on rendering decisions and his positions on fundamental Constitutional questions.

Much like Ronald Reagan, Clarence Thomas will never see a national public fully cognizant of his greatness, nor willing to acknowledge his accomplishments. His continual display of an incessant desire to judiciously adhere to the principles upon which our country was founded and our laws enacted should have left Thomas with an unquestioned legacy, but because he doesn't "fit the mold" they attack him. This book is a brilliant presentation which will, hopefully, open the eyes of the masses who have bought into the character assassinations this man has endured while upholding the values our forefathers cherished.

It remains to be seen as yet, whether Justices Thomas and Scalia still stand alone as our last great hope in returning to the virtue that once was America, but we must pray that the recent, and near future appointments to the country's highest court will stand beside Thomas and Scalia as bastions of American sovereignty and freedom. This book lends critical insight to one of the two great Justices of our time and clearly illustrates the importance of future appointees.

Monty Rainey
[..]

Henry Mark Holzer's, The Keeper of the Flame is a fascinating and enlightening examination of Justice Clarence Thomas' brilliant legal mind, his integrity and his strong moral base. Holzer brings to light the incredible purity of one of the nation's best thinkers. He does this by citing the Justice's own words and analyzing those words with the greatest degree of objectivity and clarity. Holzer reveals himself to be a master-scholar of Constitutional Law guiding us through the history of its creation by the Founding Fathers and how it has come to be interpreted by the Supreme Court. He helps us to truly understand the Constitution and its undeniable value to our free society. He takes us through the Bill of Rights so that we know and can appreciate how they apply to our own lives. Professor Holzer is not only a fine scholar-he is a fine writer and a fine teacher. His exceptional skills make this a marvelous educational text, yet a completely easy and enjoyable read.

I was especially impressed by the examples Justice Thomas' unequivocal dissents. He pulls no punches in taking on the Court's majority decision makers when he disagrees. He repudiates with unimpeachable logic and fierce moral conviction. Holzer has proven him to be not only "the keeper of the flame," but to be a man of heroic proportions. We should all be grateful that Clarence Thomas sits on the highest court in the land.

I plan to purchase several copies of The Keeper of the Flame to donate to local school and public libraries; an idea I would hope others, after reading it, might embrace.

Jeff Warren, teacher
Los Angeles

Professor Holzer has cleared away the cloud surrounding the jurisprudence of Clarence Thomas. In the ongoing debate between those who adhere to the idea of a "living constitution" and those who seek original meaning and intent, "The Keeper of the Flame" is essential reading for anyone who wants a better understanding of each viewpoint. This book also shines a bright light on the Justice who might be called the stepchild of "conservative" Supreme Court Justices. Preconceived notions and popular public images of Clarence Thomas are swept away with powerful and very readable text supported, always, by the only real authority on Justice Thomas' judicial philosophy, his own words.

We learn that Justice Thomas' opinions are well thought out and often eloquent. For anyone who has read, or even read of, Supreme Court opinions over the years, it is evident that the Court as a whole has often struggled and equivocated over the principles it applies. But, not Clarence Thomas. Whether you agree or disagree with his judicial philosphy, once you read this book you will never think of Justice Thomas in the same way he has often been portrayed.

Professor Holzer does a masterful job of placing Clarence Thomas in his proper place and, as an added bonus, Holzer gives us a concise and easy to read synposis of the important constitutional issues the Supreme Court has faced over the years.

Yes Clarence Thomas is a very originalist Supreme Court Justice
indeed! I haven't heard justice Thomas speak much, but his
opinion writing is great, with both feet planted on the center
of a rock solid US Constitution.

This book is right on track, and we should thank the author
of "Keeper of the Flame" for producing this much needed book
which happens to be an effective `rebuttal' of the prejudice
and UGLY confirmation hearings that Clarence Thomas was
subjected to..

The mind of Clarence Thomas is very well sharpened..
A strong intellect such as he possesses garners facts..
just the facts..then it digests, develops and communicates
very consistent rulings as he has done throughout his tenure
as a modern era Supreme Court Justice.

Justice Thomas' Jurisprudential history the author has shown
clearly in this book to inform us in this most succinct and
powerful way. This book is indeed quite fascinating.

The author is very qualified to write on Supreme Court's
degree of departure from the required conformance to the
US Constitution, and Clarence Thomas' tendency to defend
the Original Intent of the Constitution in his opinions,
dissents and rulings. The Author is a long time professor
of constitutional law, and has argued on the appellate level,
including some cases argued before the US Supreme Court!

In my view, no one reading this book through should ever fail
to gain a feeling of profound respect and appreciation for
Clarence Thomas' jurisprudence, driven in the center lane
of "Constitutional Originism' -- he does his utmost to defend
the US Constitution he knows profoundly, from being trampled
upon by efforts of other justices..even judges from lower
courts, to "make laws" from the bench by judicial wordsmithing.

Again, Great book!! Talk about food for legal thought!!!

KEEPER OF THE FLAME

Stanley Gray

The charge that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is an Uncle Tom "doing the white man's bidding" is so unfair and so untrue that it makes me want to cry! Thomas is definitely his own man, and it is abundantly clear that Justice Thomas truly understands what it means, and what it takes, to uphold and defend our Constitution.

Holzer's book, surprisingly easy to read, gave me a better understanding of our Constitution and of the workings of the Supreme Court. Most importantly for me, The Keeper of the Flame gave me new ammunition to use in my attempts to persuade fellow blacks that Justice Thomas's decisions in support of the Constitution should be better appreciated.

I especially found it refreshing that race plays absolutely no role in The Keeper of the Flame. Holzer wrote about Clarence Thomas the thinker, not Clarence Thomas the black thinker.

Professional or layman, butcher or baker, all Americans need to read Professor Holzer's book. I'm not sure that I wouldn't make it mandatory reading for high school seniors. And for sure, it is a must read for those entering, or already in, the legal profession.

If I were Professor Holzer I would send a copy to every member of the senate so that they would understand the proper questions to ask future Supreme Court nominees, and so that they'll be reminded of the crucial importance of their task.
__________________
Stanley Gray writes froj San Gabriel, California.

Fans of Justice Thomas will find much to cheer and swoon over in this synopsis of his many constitutional law opinions (majority, concurring, and dissenting alike). Others, however, will find a disjointed collection of poorly edited outtakes clumsily presented in a linear fashion that seems to skip from one constitutional provision to another. Rather than paint the reticent justice's approach to the law with strokes outlining his primary tenets, Holzer paints by numbers, beginning with Article 1 and working his way through the Bill of Rights.

I found this approach to be generally painful, and longed for a concise, expository presentation of Justice Thomas's jurisprudence, beginning with introductions to his originalist principles and followed by illustrative case examples. Instead, I received a torrent of not always helpful case examples, with principles occasionally peaking through.