We current Justices read the Constitution in the only way that we can: as Twentieth Century Americans. We look to the history of the time of framing and to the intervening history of interpretation. But the ultimate question must be,… — William J. Brennan Copy Share Image
If our free society is to endure, those who govern must recognize human dignity and accept the enforcement of constitutional limitations on their power… — William J. Brennan Copy Share Image
Capital punishment...treats members of the human race...as objects to be toyed with and discarded. — William J. Brennan Copy Share Image
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… — William J. Brennan Copy Share Image
The modern public school derived from a philosophy of freedom reflected in the First Amendment ... The non-sectarian or secular public school was the… — William J. Brennan Copy Share Image
If a policeman must know the Constitution, then why not a planner? — William J. Brennan Copy Share Image
Our statute books gradually became laden with gross, stereotyped distinctions between the sexes and, indeed, throughout much of the 19th century the position of… — William J. Brennan Copy Share Image
We cannot let colorblindness become myopia which masks the reality that many "created equal" have been treated within our lifetimes as inferior both by… — William J. Brennan Copy Share Image
After each perceived security crisis ended, the United States has remorsefully realized that the abrogation of civil liberties was unnecessary. — William J. Brennan Copy Share Image
The door of the Free Exercise Clause stands tightly closed against any government regulation of religious beliefs as such. Government may neither compel affirmation… — William J. Brennan Copy Share Image
One area of law more than any other besmirches the constitutional vision of human dignity. . . . The barbaric death penalty violates our… — William J. Brennan Copy Share Image
“Thus, we consider this case against the background of a profound national commitment to the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited,… — William J. Brennan Copy Share Image
Whether to the average person, applying contemporary community standards, the dominant theme of the material taken as a whole appeals to prurient interest. — William J. Brennan Copy Share Image
