“The Constitution is not a living organism. It’s a legal document, and it says what it says and doesn’t say what it doesn’t say.”
“A text should not be construed strictly, and it should not be construed leniently; it should be construed reasonably to contain all that it fairly means.”
“Originalism seems to me to be the most compatible with democratic self-rule.”
“The judge who always likes the results he reaches is a bad judge.”
“A constitution is not meant to facilitate change. It is meant to impede change, to make it difficult to change.”
“The purpose of the Constitution is to restrict the majority’s ability to harm a minority.”
“Every time the Supreme Court defines another right in the Constitution, it reduces the scope of democratic debate.”
“If you’re going to be a good and faithful judge, you have to resign yourself to the fact that you’re not always going to like the conclusions you reach.”
“The separation of powers is what protects our liberties.”
“We are not governed by the Ten Commandments. We are governed by the Constitution.”
“The role of judges is to interpret the law, not to legislate from the bench.”
“The Constitution tells us how we are to govern ourselves, not how we are to live.”
“Democracy is only successful if people accept the outcomes, even when they lose.”
“The Court must be sure of its ground before it sets aside laws of the people.”
“Words have meaning. And their meaning doesn’t change over time.”
“Our job is to apply the text as it was written, not as we wish it were written.”
“The First Amendment protects speech you hate as much as speech you love.”
“We are a government of laws, not of men.”
“Judicial activism is the practice of judges legislating from the bench.”
“A constitution guarantees rights only to the extent they are written in it.”
“The genius of the Constitution is that it prevents power from being concentrated in one place.”
“The Constitution protects individual rights by limiting government power.”
“Stare decisis is not an inexorable command.”
“The court is not some sort of omniscient body that can foresee every consequence of its decisions.”
“The judiciary has no power over either the sword or the purse.”
“Originalism seeks to understand what the people who ratified the Constitution understood it to mean.”
“A judge’s personal beliefs should never influence their interpretation of the law.”
“The Constitution is designed to ensure that no single branch of government becomes too powerful.”
“The Bill of Rights protects us from the majority.”
“If you don’t like what the Constitution says, amend it.”
“The framers knew what they were doing when they divided power among the branches.”
“The Constitution is a legal text, not a set of political aspirations.”
“The principle of federalism is essential to preserving liberty.”
“Judges should not impose their personal values on the nation.”
“The rule of law is what separates democracy from tyranny.”
“The judicial branch is the least accountable of the three branches.”
“Every generation is tempted to think it knows better than the last.”
“The Court’s legitimacy comes from its adherence to the Constitution, not from public opinion.”
“The right to bear arms is not a second-class right.”
“Liberty requires vigilance and adherence to the rule of law.”
“It’s not the role of the Court to protect people from the consequences of their political choices.”
“The framers intended the Constitution to endure, not to evolve.”
“The judiciary must remain independent but also within its constitutional boundaries.”
“The beauty of our system is that it allows change through democratic means.”
“A democracy cannot survive if judges usurp legislative authority.”
“The role of the judiciary is to say what the law is, not what it should be.”
“The Court must respect the limits of its own power.”
“The balance of power is critical to the preservation of liberty.”
“The Constitution doesn’t guarantee outcomes, only processes.”
“Freedom is best preserved by a system of limited government.”