Former Attorney General William P. Barr Delivers Presidents’ Day Lecture

One of only two Americans ever to have held the office of U.S. Attorney General twice, the Hon. William Pelham Barr came to Thomas Aquinas College, California, last week to give the 2024 Presidents’ Day lecture.

“I am delighted to be here, because this institution, to me, is on the front line of what we have to do to restore the foundation upon which our system rests, both in the City of God and in the City of Man.”

In his hourlong address, “Today’s Challenges to Our Constitution,” Mr. Barr spoke to some 500 students, faculty, staff, and members of the Board of Governors about “the steady grinding down of the executive branch’s authority” in the post-Watergate era, a result of “the encroachments of the other branches.” These incursions, he lamented, have occurred under Democratic and Republican administrations alike, undermining the founders’ vision of a robust presidency to unite and lead the republic.

“The framers felt that they needed a strong executive that was able to act with energy, consistency, decisiveness, and they came to feel that had to be provided by an individual, in solitary hands, who was free and separate from the divided counsels of the legislative branch,” said Mr. Barr. “So, they vested all executive power in one official: the President of the United States.”

As part of its St. Vincent de Paul Lecture and Concert Series, the College hosts a President’s Day Lecture on both campuses each year to consider issues related to the American founding. Past speakers have included U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, First Things founding editor Rev. Richard John Neuhaus, and one of Mr. Barr’s predecessors as U.S. Attorney General, the Hon. Edwin A. Meese III. A graduate of Columbia University and George Washington University Law School, Mr. Barr held the office from 1991 to 1993 under President George H. W. Bush and again from 2019 to 2020 under President Donald Trump.

Upon arriving on campus, Mr. Barr visited with students and members of the Board of Governors, then toured Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel and St. Bernardine of Siena Library before attending a formal All-College Dinner, held in his honor, in St. Joseph Commons. At his ensuing lecture in St. Cecilia Hall’s Fritz B. Burns Auditorium, he discussed the differing conceptions of executive authority, dating back to 17^th century England, that shaped the American founders’ conception of the separation of powers. Deviating from this conception, he argued, reflects a political ruthlessness that prioritizes expedience over the country’s constitutional order.

“What accounts for the anything-goes, no-holds-barred mentality which you’re seeing in our politics?” Mr. Barr asked. “Up until, I think, about 30 years ago or so, both political parties were concerned about preserving the overall integrity and function of our political system. … They were hesitant to take action without asking the key question, which is, ‘What happens when the shoe is on the other foot? If the other side were to do this, what would happen to the system? And how will this affect it over the long run?’ We’re seeing less and less of this kind of prudence; it’s all about immediate political usefulness. We’ll do anything to prevail today regardless of the cost tomorrow.”

Students responded to Mr. Barr’s address with a standing ovation, after which he spent some 45 minutes thoughtfully answering their questions, which ranged from Aristotelian notions of the common good to the principles of election law. “We are grateful and honored that Attorney General Barr would travel all this way to share his wisdom and experience with our students,” said Thomas Aquinas College President Paul J. O’Reilly. “I think they found his analysis to be informative and enlightening, as did we all.”

When concluding his address, Mr. Barr stressed the need to “restore and preserve in full vigor the founding principles,” which can only occur among citizens committed to and practiced in the art of reasoned discourse.

“At the end of the day, this isn’t about fights over law and using the law as a way of forcing people to live their lives the way we think or the way some other people think. It’s about hearts and minds,” Mr. Barr observed. “So, I am delighted to be here, because this institution, to me, is on the front line of what we have to do to restore the foundation upon which our system rests, both in the City of God and in the City of Man. In this partisan age, with all its passions and intensities, we have to take special care not to allow these passions of the moment to cause us to permanently disfigure the genius of our Constitutional structure.”