Active liberty is particularly at risk when law restricts speech directly related to the shaping of public opinion, for example, speech that takes place in areas related to politics and policy-making by elected officials. That special risk justifies especially strong… — Stephen Breyer Copy Share Image
I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose… — Stephen Breyer Copy Share Image
Well, just that there would be somebody in the office and the voters - it was more or less an understanding in the entire… — Stephen Breyer Copy Share Image
“The Court has a special responsibility to ensure that the Constitution works in practice. While education, including the transmission of our civic values from one generation to the next, must play the major role in maintaining public confidence in the Court's decisions, the Court too must help maintain public acceptance of its own legitimacy. It can do this best by… — Stephen Breyer Copy Share
I think whether you are a judge on my court or whether you are a judge on a court of appeals or any court, and lawyers too - and if you're interested in law yourself, you'll be in the same situation - you have a text that isn't clear. If the text is clear, you follow the text. If the… — Stephen Breyer Copy Share
We are selected, but I grew up in California and in San Francisco and there was a system of electing judges. — Stephen Breyer Copy Share Image
There are loads of countries that have nice written constitutions like ours. But there aren't loads of countries where they're followed. — Stephen Breyer Copy Share Image
At least there's a political input, but when you put on the robe, at that point the politics is over. — Stephen Breyer Copy Share Image
It's important to every American that the law protect his or her basic liberty — Stephen Breyer Copy Share Image
It doesn't help to fight crime to put people in prison who are innocent. — Stephen Breyer Copy Share Image
But once the person is selected, at that point that person is independent. — Stephen Breyer Copy Share Image
To threaten the institution is to threaten fair administration of justice and protection of liberty. — Stephen Breyer Copy Share Image
