UT Seminar to Feature Justice Thomas in February
Seventeen undergraduates will take the semester-long course, which Thomas will teach for one week in February 2027.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Law
University of Texas at Austin undergraduates will get a rare chance to learn from Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who will teach one week of a new seminar in February. The School of Civic Leadership announced the course on Friday, and 17 students will take the semester-long class.
Why it matters
For Austin students, the course puts a sitting Supreme Court justice in a Forty Acres classroom, a notable addition to the campus conversation about civic education. The course is offered through the School of Civic Leadership, and the lineup of readings it draws on, from Frederick Douglass to Martin Luther King Jr., shows the seminar's focus on equality and freedom.
The seminar enrolls 17 UT undergraduates for one credit hour, with Justin Dyer teaching most sessions and Clarence Thomas teaching for two hours a day during his February week. The announcement does not specify how many applicants competed for the 17 seats.
The players
Clarence Thomas
Thomas is the longest-serving current member of the Supreme Court and will teach one week of the seminar.
School of Civic Leadership
The University of Texas at Austin unit that announced and is offering the seminar.
Justin Dyer
Dyer is the dean of the School of Civic Leadership and will teach the rest of the seminar.
The details
The School of Civic Leadership announced the course, titled "Equality and the New Birth of Freedom," on Friday. The reading list includes works from Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., and students who completed a previous Constitutional Principles course were invited to apply. Dyer, the school's dean, will teach the course except for Thomas's week, when Thomas will teach every day for two hours.
Timeline
April: Thomas addressed a crowd at Hogg Memorial Auditorium on the UT campus.
Friday, November 6, 2026: The School of Civic Leadership announced the course.
February 2027: Thomas teaches his week of the seminar.
The Texas Context
Thomas's April address at Hogg Memorial Auditorium was an earlier campus appearance, and this February seminar extends that visit into a semester-long course. It is a UT-based academic offering, not a state law or policy action.
If you are a UT undergraduate interested in constitutional questions, this seminar is a rare chance to study with a sitting justice, though enrollment is limited to 17 students. Everyone else in Austin will see the course mainly through campus coverage and events.
The takeaway
A UT seminar with a sitting Supreme Court justice is an unusual academic offering, and its Constitutional Principles prerequisite makes it a selective course. Watch for the full syllabus and any updates from the School of Civic Leadership as February approaches.
What happens next
Thomas's teaching week is scheduled for February 2027, roughly 88 days after the announcement; watch for the full syllabus and any details on how the seminar's 17 seats were filled.
Further reading
For more on the courts shaping these debates, browse our Law coverage.
