Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Comment on this quoteShare via Email Print this Page Daily Quotes Archives2013-07-22 Jul 22, 2013It is now well established that the Constitution protects the right to receive information and ideas. ... This right to receive information and ideas, regardless of their social worth, ... is fundamental to our free society.~ Justice Thurgood MarshallThere are many prices we pay for freedoms secured by the First Amendment; the risk of undue influence is one of them, confirming what we have long known: Freedom is hazardous, but some restraints are worse.~ Justice Warren E. BurgerThe best weapon of a dictatorship is secrecy, but the best weapon of a democracy should be the weapon of openness.~ Niels Bohr Jul 19, 2013Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read.~ Frank ZappaThe common notion that free speech prevails in the United States always makes me laugh.~ H. L. MenckenEvery corner of the public psyche is canvassed by some of the most talented citizens to see if the desire for some merchandisable product can be cultivated.~ John Kenneth Galbraith Jul 18, 2013It is the duty of the officials to prevent or suppress the threatened disorder with a firm hand instead of timidly yielding to threats…. Surely a speaker ought not to be suppressed because his opponents propose to use violence. It is they who should suffer from their lawlessness, not he.~ American Bar AssociationDo not be merciful, but be just, for mercy is bestowed upon the guilty criminal, while Justice is all that the innocent man requires.~ Khalil GibranSince it was first recognized in [the] Magna Carta, trial by jury has been a prized shield against oppression ....~ U.S. Supreme Court Jul 17, 2013There is no position which depends on clearer principles, than that every act of a delegated authority, contrary to the tenor of the commission under which it is exercised, is void. No legislative act, therefore, contrary to the Constitution, can be valid. To deny this, would be to affirm, that the deputy is greater than his principal; that the servant is above his master; that the representatives of the people are superior to the people themselves; that men acting by virtue of powers, may do not only what their powers do not authorize, but what they forbid.~ Alexander HamiltonThe dignity and stability of government in all its branches, the morals of the people, and every blessing of society depend so much upon an upright and skillful administration of justice, that the judicial power ought to be distinct from both the legislative and executive, and independent upon both, that so it may be a check upon both, and both should be checks upon that.~ John AdamsConstitutions are checks upon the hasty action of the majority. They are the self-imposed restraints of a whole people upon a majority of them to secure sober action and a respect for the rights of the minority.~ William Howard Taft Jul 16, 2013The idea of neutrality in the speech context not only requires that the state refrain from choosing among viewpoints, but also that it not structure public debate in such a way as to favor one viewpoint over another. The state must act as a high-minded parliamentarian, making certain that all viewpoints are fully and fairly heard.~ Owen Fiss Previous week's quotes Next week's quotes Share on Facebook Tweet Email Print