“If we fulfill our responsibility to the Constitution, the Supreme Court will be filled with superior legal minds who will pursue the one agenda that our founding fathers intended in writing the Constitution: justice, rather than political or personal goals.” IfsWritingMindPoliticalFatherGoalJusticeResponsibilityConstitutionCourtFilledSupremeSuperiorsPursueAgendasSupreme CourtFoundingOur Founding FathersPersonal Goal Author:Chuck Grassley
“If we do our job right, the Supreme Court won't be made up of men and women who are on the side of the little guy or the big guy; rather, the Supreme Court will be made up of men and women who are on the side of the law and the Constitution.” IfsMenLittlesMadeBigsJobsLawGuySidesMen And WomenConstitutionCourtSupremeSupreme CourtBig Guys Author:Chuck Grassley
“Some liberal interest groups have come out in full force and have attempted to paint Judge [Samuel] Alito to be an extremist and to be an activist. They've criticized a nominee who has, from what I see described by these lawyers and fellow judges, a reputation of being a restrained jurist committed to the rule of law and the Constitution.” LawForceInterestGroupsJudgingConstitutionFellowsPaintCommittedLawyerReputationActivistRule Of LawExtremistInterest GroupsJurists Author:Chuck Grassley
“Supreme Court nominees should know that this exercise of judicial restraint is the key ingredient of being good judge, as the Constitution constrains judges every bit as much as it constrains we legislators, executives and citizens in their actions.” KnowsShouldActionBitsJudgingKeysCitizensExerciseConstitutionCourtBe GoodSupremeExecutivesIngredientsRestraintSupreme CourtJudicialLegislatorsConstrainGood Judges Author:Chuck Grassley
“We misread the Fifth Amendment [of Constitution] and have been misreading it for the past three decades.” Has BeensPastThreeConstitutionDecadesAmendmentsFifthFifth AmendmentMisreading Author:Joe Biden
“For 70 years there's been a consensus among scholars and the American people on a reading to the Constitution that protects the right of privacy, the autonomy of individuals, while at the same time empowering the federal government to protect the less powerful.” PeopleYearsGovernmentReadingIndividualPowerfulProtectConstitutionEmpoweringPrivacyScholarFederal GovernmentAutonomyConsensus Author:Joe Biden
“Judge [Samuel Alito], there's a genuine struggle going on well beyond you, well beyond the Congress, in America about how to read the Constitution.” WellsAmericaStruggleJudgingConstitutionCongressGenuine Author:Joe Biden
“I believe at its core we have a Constitution, as our Supreme Court's first great justice, Marshall, said in 1819, and I quote, "intended to endure for the ages to come and consequently to be adapted to the various crises of human affairs."” FirstsBelieveHumansSaidAgeI BelieveJusticeConstitutionCrisisCourtEndureAffairVariousCoreSupremeSupreme CourtAdapted Author:Joe Biden
“I acknowledge these are very tough jobs a judge has in determining whether or not there is an openness that is required under the Constitution.” JobsJudgingToughConstitutionAcknowledgeOpenness Author:Joe Biden
“The Constitution provides for one democratic moment, Judge, before a lifetime of judicial independence, when the people of the United States are entitled to know as much as we can about the person that we're about to entrust with safeguarding our future and the future of our kids.” PeopleKnowsPersonsStatesMomentsKidsUnitedUnited StatesJudgingConstitutionIndependenceDemocraticLifetimeOur FutureEntitledJudicialSafeguarding Author:Joe Biden
“The only relevant side is that of the law and the Constitution. We do great injury to the integrity of the court system when we start speaking of sides and stop devoting ourselves to the pursuit of impartial justice.” LawSidesJusticeIntegrityConstitutionCourtPursuitInjuryRelevantCourt SystemImpartial Justice Author:Jon Kyl
“While the president is to nominate that individual [to Supreme Court], we in the Senate must provide our advice and consent. This function is not well-defined. The Constitution does not set down a road map. It does not require hearings. In fact, it does not even require questioning on your understanding of the Constitution nor the role of the Supreme Court.” WellsDoeFactsIndividualUnderstandingPresidentRolesAdviceFunctionConstitutionCourtHearingSupremeDefinedMapsSenateQuestioningConsentSupreme CourtRoad Maps Author:Mike DeWine
“When it comes to the Supreme Court, the American people have only two times when they have any input into how our Constitution is interpreted and who will have the privilege to do so.First, we elect a president who has the power to nominate justices to the Supreme Court.Second, the people, acting through their representatives in the Senate, have their say on whether the president's nominee should in fact be confirmed.” PeopleShouldFirstsTwoFactsPresidentJusticeActingConstitutionCourtPrivilegeSupremeSenateRepresentativesSupreme CourtInput Author:Mike DeWine
“When it comes to our Constitution, judges perform, certainly, an important role. But the people, acting through their elected representatives, should play an even more important role.” PeopleShouldImportantPlayActingRolesJudgingConstitutionRepresentatives Author:Mike DeWine
“After all, our Constitution was intended as a popular document. It was drafted and ratified by the people. It established democratic institutions. It entrusts the people with the power to make the tough decisions. And, in most cases, it prefers the will of the people to the unchecked rule of judges.” PeopleDecisionCasesJudgingToughConstitutionInstitutionsDemocraticDocumentsTough Decisions Author:Mike DeWine
“Sometimes local, state and federal laws so clearly run afoul of the Constitution that the court must step in and strike them down. In most cases, the court performs this admirably and with great restraint.” SometimesStatesRunningLawStepsCasesConstitutionCourtStrikesLocalsRestraint Author:Mike DeWine
“In 1937, President Franklin Roosevelt reminded us that the Constitution is, and I quote, "a layman's document, not a lawyer's contract."” PresidentConstitutionLawyerContractsDocumentsFranklinLayman Author:Mike DeWine
“That very document [Constitution] does little to serve people when Supreme Court decisions are written so that even high-priced lawyers can't figure them out.” PeopleLittlesDoeDecisionWrittenFiguresConstitutionCourtLawyerSupremeDocumentsSupreme CourtCourt Decision Author:Mike DeWine
“The Constitution empowers the people to resolve our day's most contentious issues. When judges forget this basic truth, they do a disservice to our democracy and to our constitution.” PeopleForgetDemocracyIssuesJudgingConstitutionEmpoweringResolveDisserviceContentious Author:Mike DeWine
“I have very deep concern about the legacy of the Rehnquist court and its efforts to restrict congressional authority to enact legislation by adopting a very narrow view of several provisions of the Constitution, including the commerce clause and the 14th Amendment. This trend, I believe, if continued, would restrict and could even prevent the Congress from addressing major environmental and social issues of the future.” IfsBelieveI BelieveSocialViewsEffortIssuesAuthorityMajorsConcernConstitutionCourtEnvironmentalIncludingCongressLegacyTrendsAmendmentsCommerceLegislationSocial IssuesProvisionVery DeepAdoptingClausesE Commerce14th Amendment Author:Dianne Feinstein
“I want judges on the Supreme Court who will respect the words and the meaning of the Constitution, the laws enacted by Congress and the laws enacted by state legislatures.” WantStatesLawJudgingConstitutionCourtCongressSupremeSupreme CourtLegislatureState Legislatures Author:John Cornyn
“Sometimes, it might be called conservative; sometimes it might be called liberal. But the point is that the meaning of the Constitution and other laws should not change unless we the people change them.” PeopleShouldSometimesMightLawConstitutionConservative Author:John Cornyn
“Justice O'Connor was the fifth vote to uphold the time-honored principle, which bears repeating, of separation of church and state. There was real wisdom in the decision of our forefathers in writing a Constitution that gave us an opportunity to grow as such a diverse nation, and we should never forget it.” ShouldWritingRealStatesOpportunityNationsGrowsChurchJusticeDecisionForgetPrinciplesBearsVoteConstitutionSeparationNever ForgetDiverseHonoredFifthForget ItChurch And StateSeparation Of Church And StateForefathersReal Wisdom Author:Dick Durbin
“As a government lawyer, Samuel Alito wrote that he personally believe very strongly the Constitution does not protect the right to an abortion.” BelieveDoeGovernmentProtectConstitutionLawyerAbortionVery Strong Author:Dick Durbin
“You can look at founding father Alexander Hamilton nevertheless assuring - assuring - the countrymen in Federalist 78 that the role of the federal courts under the proposed Constitution would be limited.” LooksWould BeFatherRolesConstitutionCourtNeverthelessFoundingCountrymenFederalistHamilton Author:Sam Brownback
“Narrow scope of judicial power was the reason that people accepted the idea that the federal courts could have the power of judicial review; that is, the ability to decide whether a challenged law comports with the Constitution.” PeopleIdeasReasonLawAbilityConstitutionCourtAcceptedReviewsScopeJudicialJudicial PowerJudicial Review Author:Sam Brownback
“The court's injected itself in the definition of marriage, deciding whether or not human life is worth protecting, permitting government to transfer private property from one person to another, even interpreting the Constitution on the basis of foreign and international laws.” HumansPersonsGovernmentLawLife IsBasesConstitutionCourtPropertyInternationalDefinitionsHuman LifeTransfersPrivate PropertyInternational LawInterpreting Author:Sam Brownback
“The Supreme Court has also issued and never reversed a number of decisions that are repugnant to the Constitution's vision of human dignity and equality.” HumansDecisionNumbersVisionDignityConstitutionCourtSupremeSupreme CourtHuman Dignity Author:Sam Brownback
“And you can claim whatever you want to of being pro-life or pro- choice, but the right to a abortion is not in the Constitution. The court created it. It created a constitutional right. And these decisions removed a fully appropriate political judgment from the people of the several states and has led to many adverse consequences.” PeopleWantStatesPoliticalChoicesDecisionJudgmentConsequenceConstitutionClaimsCourtAbortionAppropriatePro LifeAdverse Author:Sam Brownback
“I believe that justices must recognize that our Constitution is an 18th-century document that needs to be applied in the context of the 21st century.” NeedsBelieveI BelieveJusticeCenturyConstitutionDocuments21st Century18th Century Author:Frank Lautenberg
“When I was sworn in as a judge of the court of appeals, I took an oath. I put my hand on the Bible and I swore that I would administer justice without respect to persons, that I would do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and that I would carry out my duties under the Constitution and the laws of the United States.” PersonsStatesHandsLawJusticePoorUnitedUnited StatesRichJudgingDutyEqualConstitutionCourtAppealsOath Author:Samuel Alito
“I've said many times - I told William Buckley, I said, "You warped my mind and I never recovered from it." That was a principled, lawful understanding of the role of government, the Constitution. It was not based on racism, on demagoguery, but on strong principles that - which, consistent with the American heritage and our strength for the future.” MindSaidGovernmentStrongUnderstandingPrinciplesRolesRacismConstitutionConsistentHeritagePrincipledDemagogueryRole Of Government Author:Jeff Sessions
“Frank Johnson was recognized as one of the great federal judges of American history, I suppose. He was a law-and-order judge. He was a classical, I think, conservative. But he believed that civil rights provided in the Constitution applied to everybody.” ThinkingLawOrderRightsJudgingConstitutionConservativeCivil RightsFrankAmerican HistoryJohnsonLaw And OrderFederal Judges Author:Jeff Sessions
“I remember George Mitchell - I was doing the Clarence Thomas hearing, and there were 48 senators declared they were not prepared to vote for him at the front end. We could have filibustered that and stopped it. George and I - George was the leader at the time - took the heat from every liberal group saying, "No, no, that's not the way the system is supposed to work, since the Constitution - the president shall propose and the Constitution shall dispose, we're going to let them hear this."” WayEndsRememberPresidentLeaderGroupsFrontsVoteConstitutionPreparedHearingHeatSenatorsProposeSaying No Author:Joe Biden
“Americans are not sharp. You can be sharp in your own area, I guess, but in this world you gotta be conscious of everybody else in the world too. You just can't be drunken with constitution and hear, okay we're gonna do this and then you hear well, we're gonna go kill this guy 'cause he's a terrorist and you keep gettin' it.” WorldWellsGuyCausesThis WorldConsciousAreasOkayConstitutionTerroristThis Guy Author:Chuck D
“For years, I've had a hankering for the portrait of Benjamin Franklin by Joseph Duplessis. Franklin is credited with so many inventions: the postal system, lightning rods, the constitution. He was a rock star before there was such a thing.” YearsStarsRocksConstitutionInventionLightningPortraitsRock StarFranklinHankering Author:Jon Bon Jovi
“Government is necessary for our survival. We need government in order to survive. The Founding Fathers created a special place for government. It is called the Constitution.” NeedsGovernmentOrderFatherSpecialSurvivalConstitutionFoundingSpecial Places Author:Michael Badnarik
“The biggest obstacle in interacting with China is the difference in perspectives about basic values. These include issues such as human rights, the concept of law and constitution.” HumansLawValuesDifferencesIssuesRightsPerspectiveConceptsConstitutionHuman RightsObstaclesChinaInteractingBiggest Obstacles Author:Ai Weiwei
“I've spent my whole life fighting for free-market principles and the Constitution. That's not going to change.” WholeFightingPrinciplesConstitutionWhole LifeFree Market Author:Ted Cruz
“The issues that I think matter, that I think resonate with the voters are, No. 1, defending our freedoms, defending the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. No. 2, lifting the boot of Washington off of the back of the necks of small businesses so that people can have jobs again, wages can come back again, fighting for the working class, you are getting hammered by Washington. And, No. 3, keeping this country safe, a strong commander in chief we can trust to keep us safe. That's what I'm looking for.” PeopleThinkingCountryMatterJobsFightingStrongClassIssuesRightsSafeConstitutionBillsChiefsNecksVotersBootsWorking ClassWagesSmall BusinessCommandersLiftingBack AgainBill Of RightsCommander In ChiefHammered Author:Ted Cruz
“I'm a constitutionalist. You know, does faith matter to me? Sure. But the beauty of the Constitution, the beauty of the First Amendment, it protects everyone's faith.” KnowsFirstsDoeMatterProtectConstitutionAmendmentsFirst Amendment Author:Ted Cruz
“We can all live under the Constitution and all express ourself in radically different ways and not control each other.” WayDifferentConstitutionDifferent Ways Author:Glenn Beck
“We've made progress in our country, and it's been the Constitution that permitted that to happen.” MadeCountryHappensProgressConstitutionOur Country Author:Rush Limbaugh
“It's already a million Muslims! As long as they obey the law and respect the constitution, nobody has anything to fear. They can stay and they have the same rights and the opportunity for a fantastic life in Holland.” LongLawOpportunityMillionsRightsConstitutionFantasticHollandFantastic Life Author:Geert Wilders
“There's still plenty of people who have this deep conviction that America is a Christian country and ought to say so in its Constitution, etc. But that's not the legal basis on which we're framed. So the flourishing of religion, of religious diversity, is really built into who we are.” PeopleStillsCountryChristianAmericaReligiousOughtDiversityBuiltBasesConstitutionConvictionPlentyWho We AreEtcFlourishingFramedReligious Diversity Author:Diana L. Eck
“Reading their letters and the First Amendment of the US Constitution, I infer that this nation's founders noted that religions have been at the center of great deal of trouble, so they precluded the US government from getting involved in religion, i.e. "... shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." Over the centuries, various religions have laid claim to various morals; consider the difficulties outsiders are having today in the Middle East, for example.” FirstsHas BeensGovernmentTodayLawReadingNationsDealsMoralTroubleMiddleCenturyExampleInvolvedExerciseLettersConstitutionClaimsDifficultyVariousEastEstablishmentMiddle EastAmendmentsOutsidersFoundersFirst AmendmentUs Constitution Author:Bill Nye
“I think this is the other big issue that is not going away: Do we really believe that bit in the Constitution or not? I think we do.” ThinkingBelieveBigsBitsIssuesConstitutionGoing Away Author:George Saunders
“The period of my service will depend on two conditions. Firstly, of course, there are rules stipulated by the Constitution, and I surely will not infringe them. But I am not sure whether I should take full advantage of these constitutional rights. It will depend on the specific situation in the country, in the world and my own feelings about it.” WorldShouldTwoCountryFeelingsCoursesMy OwnSituationRightsConditionsDependsPeriodsAdvantageConstitutionNot SureConstitutional Rights Author:Vladimir Putin
“First, the constitution [of Ukraine] has to be reformed. Only then can confidence building and border security follow.” FirstsSecurityBuildingConstitutionBordersUkraineConfidence BuildingBorder Security Author:Vladimir Putin
“There is a written and an unwritten law. The one by which we regulate our constitutions in our cities is the written law; that which arises from customs is the unwritten law.” LawCitiesWrittenConstitutionAriseCustomsUnwritten Author:Diogenes Laertius