Name: Cardigan's Commencement Address by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.
Uploaded: 2017-07-12T02:54:22.000Z
Duration: 18 min 4 s
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It is now my distinct honor and pleasure to  introduce this year's commencement speaker

Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts, Jr.

graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Chief Justice Roberts numerous accomplishments

include serving as a law clerk for then associate Justice William H. Rehnquist of the Supreme Court of the United States,

whom he would succeed as Chief Justice 25 years later.

Among many other notable and distinguished positions, the Chief justice also served as Associate Counsel

to President Ronald Reagan and was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit in

George W. Bush nominated him as Chief Justice of the United States, and he took his seat in September

But I guess one resume is pretty much like any other, right?

Perhaps Chief Justice Roberts' most impressive accomplishment was in marrying Jane,

career in her own right, and a person who has in the last two years become one of the great

advocates for Cardigan Mountain School in Washington, D.C.

Thank you, Jane, for all that you have done and do for Cardigan.

The Chief Justice and Mrs. Roberts are also two proud parents of their daughter Josie

and our own Cardigan cougar Jack who very well may likely be the most uncomfortable person among us right now.

I have to admit that as I was preparing for this day, I have paused several times at the thought of this moment.

It is not often that one has the opportunity and honor to introduce the Chief Justice of the United States.

heck, there have only been 17 of them in our nation's history.

visited the Chief Justice at his office at the Supreme Court in Washington as a historian and a bit of a Supreme Court junkie,

you might imagine my excitement when I found myself entering the Chief Justice's private chambers.

He invited us to sit on a worn leather Davenport, and as soon as we did,

pointed out that we were sitting on the couch on which John Quincy Adams died.

I can assure you that my reaction was slightly less reposed and was JQA's when he last dented the cushions.

I was anxious to tell the Chief Justice how much I enjoyed reading his

tightly constructed, withering, but respectful dissent in the Arizona case,

but instead I sat start straight in my seat well the Chief Justice introduced the cases to be heard that day and showed us the

the Justices study to prepare for each case.

At one point during our time together, I asked Chief Justice Roberts how he handles the awesome responsibility which accompanies his office.

"I feel like I'm holding the reins of a horse,"

he said. "I dare not pull on them too hard because I might discover that they aren't attached to anything."

I found this to be such an insightful appreciation for the delicate but precise

juridical dance that the Chief Justice and his colleagues

negotiate as with the United States Constitution as their guide,

historical precedents as reference points, and in astute sensibility of our evolving

Confederation, they endeavor to balance the immediate and far-reaching implications of their decisions.

As one who thinks that the United States Constitution in all of its purposeful ambiguity is

perhaps the most brilliant expression of democratic republicanism ever devised, I have some really exciting news to share for our graduates.

When you receive your diploma in a few moments, it may feel a little thicker than it usually might.

That is because, sorry, that is because tucked into your diploma, each of you will find a pocket-sized edition of the United States Constitution

personally signed by Chief Justice Roberts.

and I know that this will be a keepsake that you will cherish for the rest of your lives.

While Chief Justice Roberts is an extraordinary American, John G. Roberts is an ordinary man.

He is known to many in this community not so much because of his job, but because he is part of our Cardigan family.

Mr. Chief Justice, and may it please the court, at Cardigan you will always be Jack's Dad first.

Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming the Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts, Jr.

Rain, somebody said, is like confetti from heaven.

So even the heavens are celebrating this morning,

joining the rest of us at this wonderful Commencement ceremony.

Before we go any further, graduates, you have an important task to perform

because behind you are your parents and guardians.

Two or three or four years ago they drove into Cardigan, dropped you off,

helped you get settled, and then turned around and drove back out the gates.

It was an extraordinary sacrifice for them.

They drove down the trail of tears back to an emptier and lonelier house.

They did that because the decision about your education, they knew, was about you. It was not about them.

That sacrifice and others they made have brought you to this point.

But this morning is not just about you, it is also about them.

So I hope you will stand up and turn around and give them a great round of applause. Please.

Now when somebody asked me how the remarks at Cardigan went, I will be able to say they were interrupted by applause.

An important stage of your life is behind you.

I'm sorry to be the one to tell you it is the easiest stage of your life,

Now while you've been at Cardigan, you have all been a part

of an important international community as well, and I think that needs to be particularly

Tambien felicito a los graduados Cardigan de Mexico y

so presencia como parte de La Comunidad Cardigan, [Lai] hom lugar mas Doubront a

[Bureau's] Sang Ro Ro Bungay gin Sin, Oran, Chicawa

Now around the country today at colleges, high schools, middle schools,

Commencement speakers are standing before impatient graduates, and they are almost always saying the same things.

They will say that today is a commencement

exercise. It is a beginning, not an end. You should look forward and I think that is true enough.

However, I think if you're going to look forward to figure out when you're going,

it's good to know where you've been and to look back as well.

And I think if you look back to your first afternoon here at Cardigan,

perhaps you'll recall that you were lonely,

perhaps you will recall that you were a little scared, a little anxious.

You are surrounded by friends that you call brothers, and

you are confident in facing the next step in your education.

It is worth trying to think why that is so,