Justice Hugo L. BlackJustice Hugo L. Black, (1886-1971) US Supreme Court Justice

Justice Hugo L. Black Quote

“Compelling a man by law to pay his money to elect candidates or advocate law or doctrines he is against differs only in degree, if at all, from compelling him by law to speak for a candidate, a party, or a cause he is against. The very reason for the First Amendment is to make the people of this country free to think, speak, write and worship as they wish, not as the Government commands.”

Justice Hugo L. BlackJustice Hugo L. Black
~ Justice Hugo L. Black

IAM v. Street, 367 U.S., 1961

Ratings and Comments


Mike, Norwalk

not shooting the messenger here; A man can not be compelled by law, only by despotic codes, rules, statutes, etc. that do not harmonize with the law of nature or of nature's God.

J Carlton, Calgary

Compelling a man by law to pay his money...is extortion.

Anon
  • Reply
Anon    6/11/09

And to choose! Where is the right to choose in this statement? I'm not trying to shoot the messenger either but "as they wish" doesn't quite say it with the emphasis it deserves and needs today in listing it the FIRST in importance to the free expression of the rest of them. Every right that is controlled by regulation suffers the violation of not only the particular right but every single time the regulation is enforced the right of free choice is violated too. Every, single, time.

jim k, austin

Make one negative comment on a college campus about a muslim and all hell breaks loose.

warren, olathe

Gee does he mean matching government funds for candidates? How about union dues that are funneled to politicians with out the workers consent?

RBESRQ
  • Reply
RBESRQ    6/11/09

Warren, thats a drop in the bucket comapred with funds funneled by corporations etc. etc. Truth is Natural Law, absolute, and God has nothing to do with it. Four stars because of it's verbosity.

cal, lewisville, tx

but each canidate gets federal campaign money from our taxes wither we support that canidate or not

Waffler, Smith

Giving to the Presidential Election fund on your tax return is purely voluntary.

E Archer, NYC

The Fairness Doctrine and those 'Free-Speech Zones' at the Republican conventions come to mind. The idea that elected candidates can take money from those that did not vote for them is a corruption for which no authorization from the People has been given, so it is therefore an usurpation and UNLAWFUL.

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