Recently, I was proud to receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Ave Maria School of Law in Florida. I’m grateful to Tom Monaghan, Jeff Randolph, and Kevin Cieply for including me in this special day for the graduates and their families.

As a Catholic, and someone for whom having a spiritual relationship with God is deeply important, I have great respect for Ave Maria’s focus on teaching high legal, ethical, and moral standards that integrate the Catholic intellectual tradition. I believe firmly that the Catholic value system, and the Judeo-Christian value system of which it is a part, provide the bedrock on which sound ethical and moral judgments rest. This has never been more important than today, when the pace of life is fast and the challenges complex.