, Columnist
We Could Use Thurgood Marshall's Wisdom These Days
The great Supreme Court justice saw his opposition as a problem-solving partner, not an enemy.
Getting business done.
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Last month marked the 25 anniversary of Justice Thurgood Marshall’s announcement that he was retiring from the Supreme Court after 24 years of service. Hardly anybody noticed. That’s too bad. We could use his wisdom in this badly fractured moment.
Many people within a decade or two of my age miss Marshall because of the way he voted. But that attitude, although common when we look at the court, masks something terribly cynical and even illiberal. The justice whom we love because he votes the right way isn't valued for who he is, but for the benefit we derive from him. We see him less as public servant than as simply a servant -- an ideological captive over whom we are able to exercise control.