“It is difficult to understand precisely what the state hopes to achieve by promoting the creation and perpetuation of a subclass of illiterates within our boundaries, surely adding to the problems and costs of unemployment, welfare and crime.” StatesProblemDifficultAchieveCrimeCreationCostBoundariesWelfareUnemploymentPromoting Author:William J. Brennan
“More fundamentally, however, the answer to petitioners' objection is that there can be no impairment of executive power, whether on the state or federal level, where actions pursuant to that power are impermissible under the Constitution. Where there is no power, there can be no impairment of power.” StatesActionAnswersLevelsConstitutionExecutivesObjectionsExecutive Power 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
“With respect to the death penalty, I believe that a majority of the Supreme Court will one day accept that when the state punishes with death, it denies the humanity and dignity of the victim and transgresses the prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. That day will be a great day for our country, for it will be a great day for our Constitution.” BelieveCountryStatesHumanityI BelieveAcceptingOne DayDignityConstitutionVictimMajorityCourtDenySupremePunishmentOur CountryUnusualPenaltiesSupreme CourtDeath PenaltyProhibitionGreat DayCruel And Unusual Punishment Author:William J. Brennan
“After each perceived security crisis ended, the United States has remorsefully realized that the abrogation of civil liberties was unnecessary.” StatesPoliticalUnitedLibertyUnited StatesSecurityCrisisUnnecessaryCivil Liberties 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
“We hold that the Constitution does not forbid the states minor intrusions into an individual's body under stringently limited conditions.” DoeStatesBodyPoliticalIndividualFreedomConditionsConstitutionMinorsIntrusion Author:William J. Brennan
