--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's important that people understand…" description: "\"It's important that people understand that judges aren't making things up just from their own personal views of how the world should work.\" — Ketanji B..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/ketanji-brown-jackson-6300_constitution_it-s-important-that-people-understand-th_3207700.jpg" --- # It's important that people understand that judges aren't… ![“It's important that people understand that judges aren't making things up just from their own personal views of how the world should work.” quote by Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/ketanji-brown-jackson-6300_constitution_it-s-important-that-people-understand-th_3207700.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/ketanji-brown-jackson-6300_constitution_it-s-important-that-people-understand-th_3207700.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/ketanji-brown-jackson-6300_constitution_it-s-important-that-people-understand-th_3207700.jpg) > “It's important that people understand that judges aren't making things up just from their own personal views of how the world should work.” [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Judges base decisions on law and precedent, not personal opinions. **In simple terms:** Judges follow law, not personal views. Key Takeaway Trust legal reasoning over assumptions. Themes justice law objectivity Mood respectful informative Type legal educational When to use this quote - courtrooms - public debates - media analysis Key Concepts legal precedent judicial independence Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure transparency in judicial reasoning? - What role does public education play in understanding courts? A Different Perspective Judges may still interpret ambiguous laws subjectively. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Constitution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitution/) [Judges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judges/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Personal views](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-views/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [If you want good behavior, don't pay on a commission basis. Our judges aren't paid so much a case. We keep them pretty well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/if-you-want-good-behavior-don-t-pay-on-a-commission-basis-our-judges/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [I think judges have to have the ability to put aside their personal views and rule on the facts of the case with fidelity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-collins/i-think-judges-have-to-have-the-ability-to-put-aside-their-personal/) [Susan Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-collins/) > [I want to be mindful of the need for the public to have confidence in my ability to separate out my personal views.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/i-want-to-be-mindful-of-the-need-for-the-public-to-have-confidence-in/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [I'm looking at the arguments, the facts and the law. I'm methodically and intentionally setting aside personal views, any other inappropriate considerations and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/i-m-looking-at-the-arguments-the-facts-and-the-law-i-m-methodically/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [As judges, we are public servants. And it is up to the people to determine what the structure and form and function of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/as-judges-we-are-public-servants-and-it-is-up-to-the-people-to/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [I've sentenced over 100 people, and supervised release, which is the kind of post-incarceration condition that judges ordinarily impose, is something that is done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/i-ve-sentenced-over-100-people-and-supervised-release-which-is-the/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [A binding code of ethics is pretty standard for judges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/a-binding-code-of-ethics-is-pretty-standard-for-judges/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [Judges can't make law; judges shouldn't be policy makers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/judges-can-t-make-law-judges-shouldn-t-be-policy-makers/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [The underlying premise of the Brown decision - i.e. that 'separate but equal is inherently unequal' - is beyond dispute and judges can express…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/the-underlying-premise-of-the-brown-decision-i-e-that-separate-but/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [Judges are human beings. We have a duty that we focus on and that we take seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/judges-are-human-beings-we-have-a-duty-that-we-focus-on-and-that-we/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [Judicial abuse occurs when judges substitute their own political views for the law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-s-smith/judicial-abuse-occurs-when-judges-substitute-their-own-political/) [Lamar S. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-s-smith/) > [Just as judges have enormous stake in the appointment of judicial officers in the higher judiciary, the government has an equal stake. Since both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sibal/just-as-judges-have-enormous-stake-in-the-appointment-of-judicial/) [Kapil Sibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-sibal/) > [Our Constitution was not written in the sands to be washed away by each wave of new judges blown in by each successive political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-black/our-constitution-was-not-written-in-the-sands-to-be-washed-away-by/) [Hugo Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-black/) > [Those who made and endorsed our Constitution knew man's nature, and it is to their ideas, rather than to the temptations of utopia, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bork/those-who-made-and-endorsed-our-constitution-knew-man-s-nature-and-it/) [Robert Bork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bork/) > [Most of us tend to be swayed by what we read. Judges are not superhuman. They, too, are mortals. This is why they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sibal/most-of-us-tend-to-be-swayed-by-what-we-read-judges-are-not/) [Kapil Sibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-sibal/) ## More by Ketanji Brown Jackson > [You never know what cases are going to become significant and the Supreme Court is part of that story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/you-never-know-what-cases-are-going-to-become-significant-and-the/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [My mother had been adamant that I learn how to swim properly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/my-mother-had-been-adamant-that-i-learn-how-to-swim-properly/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [As someone who has had family members on patrol and in the line of fire, I care deeply about public safety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/as-someone-who-has-had-family-members-on-patrol-and-in-the-line-of/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [I believe that the Constitution is an enduring document.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/i-believe-that-the-constitution-is-an-enduring-document/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [Presidents are not kings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/presidents-are-not-kings/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [My very earliest memories are of watching my father study - he had his stack of law books on the kitchen table while I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/my-very-earliest-memories-are-of-watching-my-father-study-he-had-his/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [That's what you do as a federal public defender. You are standing up for the constitutional value of representation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/that-s-what-you-do-as-a-federal-public-defender-you-are-standing-up/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [I'm a mom and a real person and a wife and doing the best that I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/i-m-a-mom-and-a-real-person-and-a-wife-and-doing-the-best-that-i-can/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [I evaluate the facts, and I interpret and apply the law to the facts of the case before me without fear or favor, consistent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/i-evaluate-the-facts-and-i-interpret-and-apply-the-law-to-the-facts/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [Federal public defenders don't get to pick their clients. They have to represent whoever comes in. And it's a service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/federal-public-defenders-don-t-get-to-pick-their-clients-they-have-to/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [If we're going to continue to move forward as a nation, we can't allow concern about discomfort to displace knowledge, truth, or history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/if-we-re-going-to-continue-to-move-forward-as-a-nation-we-can-t-allow/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [I know that my role as a judge is a limited one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/i-know-that-my-role-as-a-judge-is-a-limited-one/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [I know my judicial role is further constrained by careful adherence to precedent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/i-know-my-judicial-role-is-further-constrained-by-careful-adherence/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [I'm a human being and I have an opinion on a lot of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/i-m-a-human-being-and-i-have-an-opinion-on-a-lot-of-things/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [Over time I learned to zip shut any bags I might be carrying before I walked into a shop, and to always keep my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/over-time-i-learned-to-zip-shut-any-bags-i-might-be-carrying-before-i/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) [Explore all 99 Ketanji Brown Jackson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) ## More Constitution quotes > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [As for doing good; that is one of the professions which is full. Moreover I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-for-doing-good-that-is-one-of-the-professions-which-is-full/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [While not widely reported, our victories in Iraq are plentiful. National elections, a democratic parliament and the drafting of a constitution are just some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gillmor/while-not-widely-reported-our-victories-in-iraq-are-plentiful/) [Paul Gillmor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gillmor/) > [In a recent decision of the Supreme Court, not made, however, by the full court, and concurred in by only four justices, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bates-clark/in-a-recent-decision-of-the-supreme-court-not-made-however-by-the/) [John Bates Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bates-clark/) > [The judiciary must not take on the coloration of whatever may be popular at the moment. We are guardian of rights, and we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-bird/the-judiciary-must-not-take-on-the-coloration-of-whatever-may-be/) [Rose Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-bird/) > [There is not a revolution that succe Women are suffering because they are being excluded. The high military council excluded women from the committee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/there-is-not-a-revolution-that-succe-women-are-suffering-because-they/) [Nawal El Saadawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawal-el-saadawi/) > [Free government is founded in jealousy, and not in confidence; it is jealousy, and not confidence, which prescribes limited constitutions, to bind down those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/free-government-is-founded-in-jealousy-and-not-in-confidence-it-is/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The American Constitution declares 'All men are born equal.' The British Socialist Party add: 'All men must be kept equal'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-american-constitution-declares-all-men-are-born-equal-the-british/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [“The Court has a special responsibility to ensure that the Constitution works in practice. While education, including the transmission of our civic values from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/the-court-has-a-special-responsibility-to-ensure-that-the/) [Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/) > [The Constitution is very clear on the - on the declaration of war or reacting to international crimes - crimes against nations. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-pitts/the-constitution-is-very-clear-on-the-on-the-declaration-of-war-or/) Joe Pitts > [Nothing from man's hands, nor law, nor constitution, can be final. Truth alone is final.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-sumner/nothing-from-man-s-hands-nor-law-nor-constitution-can-be-final-truth/) [Charles Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-sumner/) > [“I am apprehensive, Sir, that in the warmth of my feelings, I may have uttered expressions, which were too vehement. If such has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/i-am-apprehensive-sir-that-in-the-warmth-of-my-feelings-i-may-have/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [Conservative political opinion in America cleaves to the tradition of the judge as passive interpreter, believing that his absolute loyalty to authoritative law is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/conservative-political-opinion-in-america-cleaves-to-the-tradition-of/) [Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/) [Browse all 4,507 Constitution quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitution/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's important that people understand that judges aren't making things up just from their own personal views of how the world should work.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ketanji Brown Jackson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/it-s-important-that-people-understand-that-judges-aren-t-making/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Constitution" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/it-s-important-that-people-understand-that-judges-aren-t-making/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/ketanji-brown-jackson-6300_constitution_it-s-important-that-people-understand-th_3207700.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/ketanji-brown-jackson-6300_constitution_it-s-important-that-people-understand-th_3207700.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/ketanji-brown-jackson-6300_constitution_it-s-important-that-people-understand-th_3207700.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's important that people understand that judges aren't making things up just from their own personal views…” — Ketanji Brown Jackson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ketanji Brown Jackson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's important that people understand that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/it-s-important-that-people-understand-that-judges-aren-t-making/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/it-s-important-that-people-understand-that-judges-aren-t-making/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```