The topic of this speech hits close to home for me. As the title suggests, my grandparents on my father’s side were Holocaust survivors. I am fortunate to have their personal records, which tell the story of their lives: from their hardships to their liberation to their life after liberation. Their stories and example have shaped me in many ways, perhaps even in ways I cannot appreciate.
I have come to realize that their stories have done more than just affect me personally. They have become part of who I am and how I view the world around me. To a certain extent, they have shaped my judging too, and why I hold so firmly to my first principles—those core beliefs that shape how I approach the law. They have also strengthened my appreciation for the First Amendment—and in particular, its role in guaranteeing a free society. Indeed, years before I ever studied the freedom of speech or the free exercise of religion in law school, I learned about them, at least abstractly, from my grandparents.
