Stephen Breyer

I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to…

— Stephen Breyer

Well, just that there would be somebody in the office and the voters - it was more or less an understanding in…

— Stephen Breyer

“The Court has a special responsibility to ensure that the Constitution works in practice. While education, including the transmission of our civic…

— Stephen Breyer

I think whether you are a judge on my court or whether you are a judge on a court of appeals or…

— Stephen Breyer

We are selected, but I grew up in California and in San Francisco and there was a system of electing judges.

— Stephen Breyer

Judges are appointed often through the political process

— Stephen Breyer

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

At least there's a political input, but when you put on the robe, at that point the politics is over.

— Stephen Breyer

It's important to every American that the law protect his or her basic liberty

— Stephen Breyer

It doesn't help to fight crime to put people in prison who are innocent.

— Stephen Breyer

But once the person is selected, at that point that person is independent.

— Stephen Breyer

To threaten the institution is to threaten fair administration of justice and protection of liberty.

— Stephen Breyer

Every citizen has to figure out what kind of government he or she wants.

— Stephen Breyer

Independence doesn't mean you decide the way you want.

— Stephen Breyer

Active liberty is particularly at risk when law restricts speech directly related to the shaping of public opinion, for example, speech that…

— Stephen Breyer

Ultimately, the question of campaign contributions will be decided by the public.

— Stephen Breyer

I think it shows that if you have one group of people doing it, you'll get another group of people doing it.

— Stephen Breyer

You can have many different selection systems, but the bottom line has to be a system that, once the judge takes office…

— Stephen Breyer

I mean, there are lots of people who get married who can't have children. To take a state that does allow adoption…

— Stephen Breyer

Independence means you decide according to the law and the facts.

— Stephen Breyer

The advantages? Exercise, no parking problems, gas prices, it's fun. An automobile is expensive. You have to find a place to park…

— Stephen Breyer

And in that confirmation process, I sat for 17 hours in front of a senate judiciary committee.

— Stephen Breyer

The best clue to what a person thinks is what he says.

— Stephen Breyer

You will read in the newspaper more often about federal courts, but the law that affects people, the trials that affect human…

— Stephen Breyer

I thought that that was an effort to inject a popular element, a democratic element into the selection of a person who,…

— Stephen Breyer