“The door of the Free Exercise Clause stands tightly closed against any government regulation of religious beliefs as such. Government may neither compel affirmation of a repugnant belief, nor penalize or discriminate against individuals or groups because they hold views abhorrent to the authorities.” MayGovernmentIndividualBeliefReligiousJusticeViewsDoorsGroupsExerciseAuthorityRegulationAffirmationReligious BeliefClausesGovernment RegulationAbhorrent Author:William J. Brennan
“The Framers of the Bill of Rights did not purport to 'create' rights. Rather, they designed the Bill of Rights to prohibit our Government from infringing rights and liberties presumed to be preexisting.” GovernmentFreedomLibertyRightsBillsHuman RightsCivil RightsBill Of RightsRights And FreedomsFramersFundamental Rights Author:William J. Brennan
“If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable.” IfsFirstsMayIdeasGovernmentPrinciplesExpressionOpennessCensorshipAmendmentsFreedom Of SpeechOffensiveFirst AmendmentDisagreeableBedrockAmendment 1Freedom To ReadAmendment 4Liberty Of SpeechFreedom Of Speech And ExpressionFlag Burning Author:William J. Brennan
“Debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust and wide-open and that...may well include vehement, caustic, and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks on government and public officials.” ShouldWellsMaySometimesGovernmentIssuesWideDebateOfficialsCensorshipFree SpeechFreedom Of SpeechRobustPublic OfficialsVehementCaustic Author:William J. Brennan
“If our free society is to endure, those who govern must recognize human dignity and accept the enforcement of constitutional limitations on their power conceived by the Framers . . . . Such recognition will not come from a technical understanding of the organs of government, or the new forms of wealth they administer. It requires something different, something deeper-a personal confrontation with the wellsprings of our society.” IfsHumansDifferentGovernmentFormUnderstandingWealthAcceptingDignityEndureDeeperRecognitionLimitationOur SocietyOrgansEnforcementConfrontationFree SocietyHuman DignityFramersWellspring Author:William J. Brennan
