Identity of Speakers
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Clarence Thomas
Unaffiliated
OtherAssociate of the United States Supreme Court
Resources
Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
University-sponsored lecture/address/panel
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Incident Political Orientation:
Not Clear -
Incident Responses:
Other
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Incident Status:
No litigation
- Did not involve Speech Codes
Summary
On February 27, 2026, Justice Clarence Thomas was scheduled to speak in person at a closed-door legal conference at American University’s law school. Before the event, student groups expressed opposition on social media, asking, “Why is Clarence Thomas Speaking at AU?” During the afternoon, a group of about a dozen people who appeared to be students gathered outside the venue to protest, carrying placards with the message “No Kings.” It was not clear whether the demonstration contributed to the security concern.
Citing a security risk, Thomas appeared remotely from the Capitol Hill office of Senator Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, instead of attending in person. He said, “I apologize for having to change things, but I wanted to make sure I didn’t endanger anyone by my mere presence,” and encouraged attendees not to let current tensions prevent civil engagement. The security concern was the only reason cited for his altered plans. However, there has been no publicly documented evidence of a specific credible threat, and the details of the security concern were not disclosed.
The conference included lawyers, academics, Mormon Church leaders, and Trump administration officials. University officials noted that a team was in place to prevent any potential disruption, which did not occur.
