--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To consider judges as the ultimate…" description: "\"To consider judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions is a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place us under the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a43/thomas-jefferson-43_arbiter_to-consider-judges-as-the-ultimate-arbit_1765439.jpg" --- # To consider judges as the ultimate arbiters of all… ![“To consider judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions is a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy.” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a43/thomas-jefferson-43_arbiter_to-consider-judges-as-the-ultimate-arbit_1765439.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a43/thomas-jefferson-43_arbiter_to-consider-judges-as-the-ultimate-arbit_1765439.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a43/thomas-jefferson-43_arbiter_to-consider-judges-as-the-ultimate-arbit_1765439.jpg) > “To consider judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions is a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy.” [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He warns that giving judges final say on constitutional matters creates an oligarchic tyranny. **In simple terms:** Judicial supremacy threatens liberty. Key Takeaway Limit judicial power. Themes law government constitution Mood cautious serious Type political legal When to use this quote - court decisions - legislative drafting - constitutional amendment Key Concepts separation of powers judicial review Questions to Reflect On - How to balance judicial authority with democratic oversight? - What safeguards protect against judicial overreach? A Different Perspective Judicial review can provide necessary checks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arbiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arbiter/) [Arbiters Constitutional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arbiters-constitutional-1440963/) [Consider Judges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consider-judges-1440964/) [Dangerous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dangerous/) [Dangerous Doctrine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dangerous-doctrine-1730818/) [Despotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despotism/) [Despotism Oligarchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despotism-oligarchy-1730819/) [Doctrine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctrine/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Judging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judging/) [Judicial branch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judicial-branch/) [Judicial review](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judicial-review/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Oligarchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oligarchy/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Property rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/property-rights/) [Ultimate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ultimate/) ## Related quotes > [“You seem to consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions; a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/you-seem-to-consider-the-judges-as-the-ultimate-arbiters-of-all/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [ \[T\]he opinion which gives to the judges the right to decide what laws are constitutional and what not, not only for themselves, in their,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/t-he-opinion-which-gives-to-the-judges-the-right-to-decide-what-laws/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The Constitution is a mere thing of wax in the hands of the judiciary, which they may twist and shape into any form they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-constitution-is-a-mere-thing-of-wax-in-the-hands-of-the-judiciary/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [It is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is...If two laws conflict with each other, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marshall/it-is-emphatically-the-province-and-duty-of-the-judicial-department/) [John Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marshall/) > [ One single object . . . \[will merit\] the endless gratitude of the society: that of restraining the judges from usurping legislation. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/one-single-object-will-merit-the-endless-gratitude-of-the-society/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The great object of my fear is the federal judiciary. 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Science is the sole legitimate arbiter of all relavent truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/modern-science-kills-god-and-takes-his-place-on-the-vacant-throne/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) [Browse all 97 Arbiter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arbiter/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To consider judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions is a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Jefferson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/to-consider-judges-as-the-ultimate-arbiters-of-all-constitutional/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Arbiter" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/to-consider-judges-as-the-ultimate-arbiters-of-all-constitutional/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a43/thomas-jefferson-43_arbiter_to-consider-judges-as-the-ultimate-arbit_1765439.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a43/thomas-jefferson-43_arbiter_to-consider-judges-as-the-ultimate-arbit_1765439.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a43/thomas-jefferson-43_arbiter_to-consider-judges-as-the-ultimate-arbit_1765439.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To consider judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions is a very dangerous doctrine…” — Thomas Jefferson", "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": "Thomas Jefferson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To consider judges as the ultimate...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/to-consider-judges-as-the-ultimate-arbiters-of-all-constitutional/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/to-consider-judges-as-the-ultimate-arbiters-of-all-constitutional/#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 } } ] } ```