--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Values that I would be enforcing if I…" description: "\"Values that I would be enforcing if I were a judge are not just my values, that I am not striking something down simply because I don't like it. That i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ed/raymond-kethledge-33996_constitution_values-that-i-would-be-enforcing-if-i-we_35442.jpg" --- # Values that I would be enforcing if I were a judge are not… ![“Values that I would be enforcing if I were a judge are not just my values, that I am not striking something down simply because I don't like it. That is a countermajoritarian aspect of our system of government. I would start with the text.” quote by Raymond Kethledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ed/raymond-kethledge-33996_constitution_values-that-i-would-be-enforcing-if-i-we_35442.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ed/raymond-kethledge-33996_constitution_values-that-i-would-be-enforcing-if-i-we_35442.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ed/raymond-kethledge-33996_constitution_values-that-i-would-be-enforcing-if-i-we_35442.jpg) > “Values that I would be enforcing if I were a judge are not just my values, that I am not striking something down simply because I don't like it. That is a countermajoritarian aspect of our system of government. I would start with the text.” [Raymond Kethledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-kethledge/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A judge must apply the law impartially, not let personal preferences dictate decisions, emphasizing adherence to constitutional text over majoritarian impulses. **In simple terms:** Impartial legal interpretation over personal bias. Key Takeaway Law must be text‑driven, not opinion‑driven. Themes rule of law judicial impartiality constitutionalism countermajoritarianism legal text Mood thoughtful analytical Type judicial observation philosophical statement When to use this quote - court rulings - constitutional challenges - policy disputes - legislative overrides Key Concepts judicial philosophy separation of powers interpretation methods Practical Applications - legal analysis - judicial training Questions to Reflect On - How does textualism safeguard minority rights? - When might strict adherence to text hinder justice? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Constitution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitution/) [Countermajoritarian Aspect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/countermajoritarian-aspect-439639/) [Enforcing Judge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enforcing-judge-439638/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [I am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-am/) [Like Countermajoritarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-countermajoritarian-439641/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Start](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start/) [System](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/system/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Values Enforcing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values-enforcing-439640/) ## Related quotes > [I would make sure that the values that I would be enforcing if I were a judge are not just my values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-kethledge/i-would-make-sure-that-the-values-that-i-would-be-enforcing-if-i-were/) [Raymond Kethledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-kethledge/) > [Judges have to have the humility to recognize that they operate within a system of precedent, shaped by other judges equally striving to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-roberts/judges-have-to-have-the-humility-to-recognize-that-they-operate/) [John Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-roberts/) > [I think we should have basically the same tax policy that Germany, Japan, the U.K., everybody else has, which is a tax rate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-immelt/i-think-we-should-have-basically-the-same-tax-policy-that-germany/) [Jeffrey R. Immelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-immelt/) > [It's encouraging to watch bipartisan leaders from different states recognize the need for fair and rational legislation focused on creating second chances for those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-g-rubin/it-s-encouraging-to-watch-bipartisan-leaders-from-different-states/) [Michael G. Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-g-rubin/) > [You can have a value system and be unable to totally live it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-brennan-jobs/you-can-have-a-value-system-and-be-unable-to-totally-live-it/) [Lisa Brennan-Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-brennan-jobs/) > [I'm a big fan of the digestive system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-macaulay/i-m-a-big-fan-of-the-digestive-system/) [David Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-macaulay/) > [If I could wave a magic wand, I'd break up the banking system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-c-griffin/if-i-could-wave-a-magic-wand-i-d-break-up-the-banking-system/) [Kenneth C. Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-c-griffin/) > [You give me enough shots, I'll average 20. You give me a particular system where I stick close to the basket, I'll average 10 rebounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bosh/you-give-me-enough-shots-i-ll-average-20-you-give-me-a-particular/) [Chris Bosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bosh/) > [If China someday gains a more fair, just, and accountable system of government, it will be due to the hard work and efforts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/if-china-someday-gains-a-more-fair-just-and-accountable-system-of/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Thirty guys equals five percent die-off among active wingsuit base jumpers. That means there's a flaw in our system and you're an idiot if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-potter/thirty-guys-equals-five-percent-die-off-among-active-wingsuit-base/) [Dean Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-potter/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The system in Germany is different, as you sign up with a company for two or three years, and you work exclusively with them;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wlaschiha/the-system-in-germany-is-different-as-you-sign-up-with-a-company-for/) [Tom Wlaschiha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wlaschiha/) > [If the system should not need parts now, the worker should not produce because you are just absorbing instead of producing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliyahu-goldratt/if-the-system-should-not-need-parts-now-the-worker-should-not-produce/) [Eliyahu Goldratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliyahu-goldratt/) > [I never wanted System to take a hiatus. I think it was a disastrous move for us, because we never reached our peak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dolmayan/i-never-wanted-system-to-take-a-hiatus-i-think-it-was-a-disastrous/) [John Dolmayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dolmayan/) > [Most of the time, I get around perfectly well on my bike and public transportation, even in spite of the Bay Area's almost comically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/most-of-the-time-i-get-around-perfectly-well-on-my-bike-and-public/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) ## More by Raymond Kethledge > [I use solitude as a judge and as a person - a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-kethledge/i-use-solitude-as-a-judge-and-as-a-person-a-lot/) [Raymond Kethledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-kethledge/) > [Among the most serious allegations a federal court can address are that an Executive agency has targeted citizens for mistreatment based on their political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-kethledge/among-the-most-serious-allegations-a-federal-court-can-address-are/) [Raymond Kethledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-kethledge/) > [I would make sure that the values that I would be enforcing if I were a judge are not just my values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-kethledge/i-would-make-sure-that-the-values-that-i-would-be-enforcing-if-i-were/) [Raymond Kethledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-kethledge/) > [In my own opinions as a judge, I have never yet had occasion to find a statute ambiguous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-kethledge/in-my-own-opinions-as-a-judge-i-have-never-yet-had-occasion-to-find-a/) [Raymond Kethledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-kethledge/) > [Analytical clarity is the result of hard, syllogistic thinking, and that thinking has to be done alone. It's not just being physically alone but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-kethledge/analytical-clarity-is-the-result-of-hard-syllogistic-thinking-and/) [Raymond Kethledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-kethledge/) > [Reading a brief filled with ad hominem attacks is like listening to my kids fight, except that I have to wait until we're in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-kethledge/reading-a-brief-filled-with-ad-hominem-attacks-is-like-listening-to/) [Raymond Kethledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-kethledge/) > [The First Amendment protects the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-kethledge/the-first-amendment-protects-the-internet/) [Raymond Kethledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-kethledge/) > [While driving to work, I'll choose to think about a particular subject rather than just have random thought streams landing on one subject or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-kethledge/while-driving-to-work-i-ll-choose-to-think-about-a-particular-subject/) [Raymond Kethledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-kethledge/) > [Cell-site data - like mailing addresses, phone numbers, and IP addresses - are information that facilitate personal communications rather than part of the content…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-kethledge/cell-site-data-like-mailing-addresses-phone-numbers-and-ip-addresses/) [Raymond Kethledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-kethledge/) > [I won't write about a subject unless I've mastered it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-kethledge/i-won-t-write-about-a-subject-unless-i-ve-mastered-it/) [Raymond Kethledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-kethledge/) > [A lawyer who makes an impression as credible, competent, and civil is one whose thoughts I'll take seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-kethledge/a-lawyer-who-makes-an-impression-as-credible-competent-and-civil-is/) [Raymond Kethledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-kethledge/) > [The lawyers in the Department of Justice have a long and storied tradition of defending the nation's interests and enforcing its laws - all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-kethledge/the-lawyers-in-the-department-of-justice-have-a-long-and-storied/) [Raymond Kethledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-kethledge/) > [In my view, statutory ambiguities are less like dandelions on an unmowed lawn than they are like manufacturing defects in a modern automobile: they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-kethledge/in-my-view-statutory-ambiguities-are-less-like-dandelions-on-an/) [Raymond Kethledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-kethledge/) [Explore all 14 Raymond Kethledge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-kethledge/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "Values that I would be enforcing if I were a judge are not just my values, that I am not striking something down simply because I don't like it. That is a countermajoritarian aspect of our system of government. 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