Justice William J. Brennan, (1906-1997) U. S. Supreme Court Justice Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Comment on this quote Share via Email Print this Page Justice William J. Brennan Quote “The concept of military necessity is seductively broad, and has a dangerous plasticity. Because they invariably have the visage of overriding importance, there is always a temptation to invoke security "necessities" to justify an encroachment upon civil liberties. For that reason, the military-security argument must be approached with a healthy skepticism.”Justice William J. Brennan ~ Justice William J. Brennan (1906-1997) U. S. Supreme Court JusticeBrown v. Glines, 444 US 348 (1980) Civil Rights , History , Individual Rights , Justice , Military , Security , Terrorism , Usurpation , Skepticism Ratings and Comments Reply Anonymous 1/8/07 1 Reply BARRISTER1, MONTCLAIR NJ 2/5/07 This quote is timely, timeless and essential -- we need to be reminded, alleged "necessities" are temporary but liberty is an eternal value. Reply Anonymous 2/5/07 3 Reply Mike, Norwalk 9/26/11 Here, not shooting one of the great destructive forces against liberty, his overall premise is mostly correct. Civil liberties carries with it the connotation that the servant is greater than the master (the servant being the keeper of all rights with ability to create law). It is clear that the military-security argument must be approached with a healthy skepticism BUT !, that is not enough to stop the despot overriding inalienable rights for any reason. Reply Kimo, USA 9/26/11 NO troops shall be used upon US citizens".US Constitution".that wasnt a quote, but thats the law Now, UN troops, a double no no. NO, NO UN troops. Somebody told me, "un patch on US soil....target" cant remember who Reply jim k, Austin, Tx 9/26/11 2 Reply E Archer, NYC 9/26/11 Something that so-called conservatives should understand -- security is NOT more important than liberty. Restore Habeas Corpus! Which presidential candidate is promising that?... Reply John, Vallejo 1/8/16 1 Reply Ronw13, Yachats OR 1/8/16 Science and innovation, the never ending quest to read peoples minds. Is he/or she telling a lie, The 4th and 5th, amendments, pushed aside for ( emergency, security sake.) As Mike points out the overall premise, kinda sorta. The justice stating he is the granter of liberties. The master mentality from a position of Authority. It is scary indeed how far military applications of interfacing have come. Predisposed to certain illnesses ? Guilty till proven innocent !! Moral Responsibility thrown out the window. Doubt is an amazing thing, to Overcome ! it drives the need to Know. Security is a two edged sword ! If one invokes it, the other is on guard !! 1 Reply cal, Lewisville, tx 1/8/16 Never liked this judge who helped re-write the constitution and centralized all power to D.C.,but the quote is worthy SaveOk2 SaveOk2 View CommentsClick to view or comment. Share on Facebook Tweet Email Print This Justice William J. Brennan quote is found in these categories: Civil Rights quotes History quotes Individual Rights quotes Justice quotes Military quotes Security quotes Terrorism quotes Usurpation quotes Skepticism quotes About Justice William J. Brennan Bio of Justice William J. Brennan Quotations by Justice William J. Brennan Books by/about Justice William J. Brennan Justice William J. Brennan videos Justice William J. Brennan on Wikipedia Astrological chart for Justice William J. Brennan