“If our free society is to endure, and I know it will, those who govern must recognize that the Framers of the Constitution limited their power in order to preserve human dignity and the air of freedom which is our proudest heritage.” IfsKnowsHumansOrderAirDignityConstitutionEndurePreservesHeritageFree SocietyHuman DignityFramers Author:William J. Brennan
“If we are to be as a shining city upon a hill, it will be because of our ceaseless pursuit of the constitutional ideal of human dignity.” IfsHumansReligionCitiesAtheismIdealsDignityShiningPursuitHillsHuman Dignity Author:William J. Brennan
“The calculated killing of a human being by the state involves, by its very nature, an absolute denial of the executed person's humanity. The most vile murder does not, in my view, release the state from constitutional restraint on the destruction of human dignity.” HumansPersonsDoeStatesHumanityHuman BeingsViewsDignityDestructionMurderAbsolutesKillingReleaseDenialRestraintDeath PenaltyHuman Dignity 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
“One area of law more than any other besmirches the constitutional vision of human dignity. . . . The barbaric death penalty violates our Constitution. Even the most vile murderer does not release the state from its obligation to respect dignity, for the state does not honor the victim by< emulating his murderer. Capital punishment's fatal flaw is that it treats people as objects to be toyed with and discarded. . . . One day the Court will outlaw the death penalty. Permanently.” PeopleHumansDoeStatesLawVisionObjectsHonorOne DayAreasDignityTreatsConstitutionVictimCourtPunishmentObligationReleaseFlawsPenaltiesMurdererDeath PenaltyHuman DignityOutlawDiscardedCapital PunishmentBarbaricFatal Flaws Author:William J. Brennan
