Anonymity is a shield from the tyranny of the majority. John Paul Stevens More Quotes by John Paul Stevens More Quotes From John Paul Stevens A democracy cannot function effectively when its constituent members believe laws are being bought and sold. John Paul Stevens democracylawbelieve As a matter of constitutional tradition, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we presume that governmental regulation of the content of speech is more likely to interfere with the free exchange of ideas than to encourage it. The interest in encouraging freedom of expression in a democratic society outweighs any theoretical but unproven benefit of censorship. John Paul Stevens governmentexpressionideas In the national debate about a serious issue, it is the expression of the minority's viewpoint that most demands the protection of the First Amendment. Whatever the better policy may be, a full and frank discussion of the costs and benefits of the attempt to prohibit the use of marijuana is far wiser than suppression of speech because it is unpopular. John Paul Stevens marijuanaissuesexpression Every individual who participated in the redistricting process knew that incumbency protection was a critical factor in producing the bizarre lines. ... Many of the oddest twists and turns of the Texas districts would never have been created if the Legislature had not been so intent on protecting party and incumbents. John Paul Stevens texaspoliticalparty To show a well-founded fear of persecution, an alien need not prove that it is more likely than not that he or she will be persecuted in his or her home country. John Paul Stevens homecountryneeds Just as the right to speak and the right to refrain from speaking are complementary components of a broader concept of individual freedom, so also the individual's freedom to choose his own creed is the counterpart of his right to refrain from accepting the creed established by the majority. John Paul Stevens individualmajorityspeak The graphic emphasis placed on those first lines is rather hard to square with the proposition that the monument expresses no particular religious preference. John Paul Stevens atheismsquaresreligious I think John Berman often speaks about them as President Barack Obama judges and other kinds of judges, but I think( Chief Justice) John Roberts was dead right when John Roberts said that there are only one kind of judges and they're all working for the federal government. John Paul Stevens top-news Thanks to Elena Kagan. John Paul Stevens top-news That simple but dramatic action would move Saturday’s marchers closer to their objective than any other possible reform, it would eliminate the only legal rule that protects sellers of firearms in the United States — unlike every other market in the world. John Paul Stevens politics That decision — which I remain convinced was wrong and certainly was debatable — has provided the NRA with a propaganda weapon of immense power, overturning that decision via a constitutional amendment to get rid of the Second Amendment would be simple and would do more to weaken the NRA’s ability to stymie legislative debate and block constructive gun control legislation than any other available option. John Paul Stevens politics If I were running for president, I don't think I would make such a litmus test, even though I think the case ought to be overruled, no doubt about that. John Paul Stevens top-news For over 200 years after the adoption of the Second Amendment, it was uniformly understood as not placing any limit on either federal or state authority to enact gun control legislation. John Paul Stevens limitcontrolgun-controlgun When I signed on to letting the death penalty back in, I thought the procedural protections against executing an innocent person were stronger than they turned out to be. John Paul Stevens thoughtdeath-penaltyinnocentdeath Of course, when I joined the Navy and when I took up the correspondence course in cryptography, I had to sign an oath that I would never reveal what sort of work I was involved in. It was only some years after the war that Congress passed a statute relieving me of that obligation. John Paul Stevens nevermeworkwar They may not be conscripted against their will as the foot soldiers in a federal crusade. John Paul Stevens soldiersagainstwillmay To make a coverage decision, doesn't one have to make a medical judgment? John Paul Stevens makemedicaljudgmentdecision The practice of executing such offenders is a relic of the past and is inconsistent with evolving standards of decency in a civilized society. John Paul Stevens standardssocietypracticepast I always prided myself on my ability to choose good clerks, and one of the key elements was whether I thought I would like the person. John Paul Stevens choosethoughtgoodmyself I had been born a Republican. My dad was an active Republican, but he was not active in politics and I really never was either. It's true that I did belong to that party, but it really had very little impact on my public work or my private views. John Paul Stevens neverdadpoliticswork
