--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our courts' decisions do not permeate the…" description: "\"Our courts' decisions do not permeate the public consciousness - we have no equivalent of the Brown v Board of Education ruling which outlawed racial s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ee/emily-thornberry-6730_board-of-education_our-courts-decisions-do-not-permeate-the_909706.jpg" --- # Our courts' decisions do not permeate the public… ![“Our courts' decisions do not permeate the public consciousness - we have no equivalent of the Brown v Board of Education ruling which outlawed racial segregation, or of Roe v Wade, which enshrined a woman's right to choose not just into law but into the public imagination as well.” quote by Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ee/emily-thornberry-6730_board-of-education_our-courts-decisions-do-not-permeate-the_909706.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ee/emily-thornberry-6730_board-of-education_our-courts-decisions-do-not-permeate-the_909706.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ee/emily-thornberry-6730_board-of-education_our-courts-decisions-do-not-permeate-the_909706.jpg) > “Our courts' decisions do not permeate the public consciousness - we have no equivalent of the Brown v Board of Education ruling which outlawed racial segregation, or of Roe v Wade, which enshrined a woman's right to choose not just into law but into the public imagination as well.” [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights that landmark court rulings often fail to become ingrained in public awareness, unlike iconic cases that shape societal values and collective memory. **In simple terms:** Major court decisions rarely embed in public mind. Key Takeaway Promote broader public education on key rulings. Themes law public awareness civil rights media influence Mood concerned thoughtful Type analytical commentary When to use this quote - legal education - media coverage - community discussions - school curricula Key Concepts judicial impact collective memory civic engagement Questions to Reflect On - How can media better convey the significance of court decisions? - What role should schools play in teaching landmark cases? A Different Perspective Public perception may be limited by media focus on sensationalism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Board of education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/board-of-education/) [Brown V Board Of Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brown-v-board-of-education/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Racial segregation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racial-segregation/) [Roe v wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roe-v-wade/) [Woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woman/) ## Related quotes > [I think the problem is, if we foreclose any public justice, then we cut off the virtuous cycle that's represented by law, where there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-minow/i-think-the-problem-is-if-we-foreclose-any-public-justice-then-we-cut/) [Martha Minow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-minow/) > [The law is the public conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hobbes/the-law-is-the-public-conscience/) [Thomas Hobbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hobbes/) > [Judges . . . rule on the basis of law, not public opinion, and they should...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-e-burger/judges-rule-on-the-basis-of-law-not-public-opinion-and-they-should/) [Warren E. Burger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-e-burger/) > [I was always more interested in public service. What I discovered is you could practice law and be a public servant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-west/i-was-always-more-interested-in-public-service-what-i-discovered-is/) [Tony West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-west/) > [In private matters everyone is equal before the law. In public matters, when it is a question of putting power and responsibility into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/in-private-matters-everyone-is-equal-before-the-law-in-public-matters/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [The penal code deals with things like theft, false testimony, adultery, fornication, etc. and then there's the law of the state, the law of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anjem-choudary/the-penal-code-deals-with-things-like-theft-false-testimony-adultery/) [Anjem Choudary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anjem-choudary/) > [I didn't go to fancy schools or come from money or from a family that valued law or public speaking in any shape or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-katyal/i-didn-t-go-to-fancy-schools-or-come-from-money-or-from-a-family-that/) [Neal Katyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-katyal/) > [Our nation is grounded on the rule of law, and the public must be assured that government officials administer the law fairly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-rosenstein/our-nation-is-grounded-on-the-rule-of-law-and-the-public-must-be/) [Rod Rosenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-rosenstein/) > [Some emotions are essential to law and to public principles of justice: anger at wrongdoing, fear for our safety, compassion for the pain of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-nussbaum/some-emotions-are-essential-to-law-and-to-public-principles-of/) [Martha Nussbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-nussbaum/) > [During the decades after Brown v. Board of Education there was terrific progress. Tens of thousands of public schools were integrated racially. During that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kozol/during-the-decades-after-brown-v-board-of-education-there-was/) [Jonathan Kozol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-kozol/) > [ “a 1960 self-published broadside, A Business Man Looks at Communism, Koch claimed that “the Communists have infiltrated both the Democrat \[sic\] and Republican Parties.”… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/a-1960-self-published-broadside-a-business-man-looks-at-communism/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [My association with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference is sort of predated by an effort that we were a part of here in New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-baker/my-association-with-the-southern-christian-leadership-conference-is/) [Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-baker/) > [The hardest problems of all in law enforcement are those involving a conflict of law and local customs. History has recorded many occasions when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/the-hardest-problems-of-all-in-law-enforcement-are-those-involving-a/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [Brown v. Board of Education was arguably the most important decision of the Supreme Court in the 20th century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letitia-james/brown-v-board-of-education-was-arguably-the-most-important-decision/) [Letitia James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letitia-james/) > [There was never a time you could get the majority of people in Alabama or Mississippi, or even southern Delaware, to vote to end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/there-was-never-a-time-you-could-get-the-majority-of-people-in/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) ## More by Emily Thornberry > [The notion of women being written out of history is as old as the Bible, but it always seems more galling when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/the-notion-of-women-being-written-out-of-history-is-as-old-as-the/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [The Human Rights Act is not a terrorists' charter. It enables ordinary citizens to seek redress when the government breaches fundamental freedoms enshrined in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/the-human-rights-act-is-not-a-terrorists-charter-it-enables-ordinary/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [The Fraud Act 2006 makes it perfectly clear that Libor rigging is prosecutable as a criminal offence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/the-fraud-act-2006-makes-it-perfectly-clear-that-libor-rigging-is/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [Given that GPs are essentially a private part of our health care system, providing services independently of the rest of the health service, NHS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/given-that-gps-are-essentially-a-private-part-of-our-health-care/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [It's often been said that politics in Islington, in many ways, begins and ends with housing, and it's not hard to see why. Despite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/it-s-often-been-said-that-politics-in-islington-in-many-ways-begins/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [We have all these strong men in politics - whether it's Brazil, or the Philippines, or Trump, or Putin. They're all big men: it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/we-have-all-these-strong-men-in-politics-whether-it-s-brazil-or-the/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [People don't seem to be safe inside Pentonville, and now it transpires inmates can escape. That is the final straw. If they don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/people-don-t-seem-to-be-safe-inside-pentonville-and-now-it-transpires/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [White collar crime must be taken as seriously as any other crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/white-collar-crime-must-be-taken-as-seriously-as-any-other-crime/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [The financial elite do not need special laws for themselves. This is one nation and there is one criminal law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/the-financial-elite-do-not-need-special-laws-for-themselves-this-is/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [When one party is really unpopular, like the Conservatives in 1997, AV can really skew the result disproportionately against them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/when-one-party-is-really-unpopular-like-the-conservatives-in-1997-av/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [All the evidence shows that establishing the habit of voting as early as possible is a vital tool in making sure that it's maintained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/all-the-evidence-shows-that-establishing-the-habit-of-voting-as-early/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [There was a time when a certain type of Tory could have been relied on to swing from the chandeliers in defence of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/there-was-a-time-when-a-certain-type-of-tory-could-have-been-relied/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [We need to build on our diplomatic networks, and the unrivalled expertise of our Foreign Office, to project a positive image for Britain as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/we-need-to-build-on-our-diplomatic-networks-and-the-unrivalled/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [Carving out our own role, distinct from America's, might not be easy. But we must ask ourselves: what alternative is there? Unthinking, uncritical loyalty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/carving-out-our-own-role-distinct-from-america-s-might-not-be-easy/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [Why the Tories are happy to subsidise home ownership for middle class graduates and affluent social tenants, but not for widows on low incomes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/why-the-tories-are-happy-to-subsidise-home-ownership-for-middle-class/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) [Explore all 98 Emily Thornberry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) ## More Board of education quotes > [“Do you condemn the kids for not having been blessed with I.Q.s of 120? Can you condemn the kids? Can you condemn anyone? Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-hunter/do-you-condemn-the-kids-for-not-having-been-blessed-with-i-q-s-of-120/) [Evan Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-hunter/) > [When I grew up in Cincinnati in 1974, the Board of Education set up the performing school, similar to the New York performing arts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rocky-carroll/when-i-grew-up-in-cincinnati-in-1974-the-board-of-education-set-up/) [Rocky Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rocky-carroll/) > [There was never a time you could get the majority of people in Alabama or Mississippi, or even southern Delaware, to vote to end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/there-was-never-a-time-you-could-get-the-majority-of-people-in/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [I'd walk into the school, smell that institutional smell of the tomato soup, peanut butter, disinfectant, and boys room. 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