William J. Brennan Quotes about Justice

All William J. Brennan Quotes Atheism Constitution Death Penalty Freedom Freedom Of Speech Justice quotes Liberty

We current Justices read the Constitution in the only way that we can: as Twentieth Century Americans. We look to the history of the time of framing and to the intervening history of interpretation. But the ultimate

We current Justices read the Constitution in the only way that we can: as Twentieth Century Americans. We look to the history of the time of framing and to the intervening history of interpretation. But the ultimate question must be, what do the words of the text mean in our time. For the genius of the Constitution rests not in any static meaning it might have had in a world that is dead and gone, but in the adaptability of its great principles to cope with current problems and current needs.

William J. Brennan

Mean, Justice, Principles

"The Constitution of the United States: Contemporary Ratification" (speech),Washington, D.C., 12 Oct. 1985

All ideas having even the slightest redeeming social importance - unorthodox ideas, controversial ideas, even ideas hateful to the prevailing climate of opinion, have the full protection of the guarantees [of the First Amendment].

William J. Brennan

Ideas, Justice, Religion

Roth v. United States (1957)

We current justices read the Constitution in the only way that we can: as 20th-century Americans.

William J. Brennan

Justice, Way, Constitution

"The Constitution of the United States: Contemporary Ratification" (speech),Washington, D.C., 12 Oct. 1985

Consequences flow from a justice's interpretation in a direct and immediate way. A judicial decision respecting the incompatibility of Jim Crow with a constitutional guarantee of equality is not simply a contemplative exercise in defining the shape of a just society. It is an order

William J. Brennan

Exercise, Order, Justice

William J. Brennan Quotes about Justice

You May Also Like: