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If the Constitution says that the little guy should win, the little guy is going to win in court before me, … But if the Constitution says that the big guy should win, well, then the big guy is going to win because my obligation is to the Constitution.

John Roberts

The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.
JOHN ROBERTS

Discrimination Oppression Race Stop Way
I think judicial temperament is a willingness to step back from your own committed views of the correct jurisprudential approach and evaluate those views in terms of your role as a judge.
JOHN ROBERTS

Commitment Correct Judgement Judicial Role Temper View Willing Yourself
Sometimes it’s just surreal out there, while you’re running a marathon. People just standing out in the cold, even the rain, cheering for you, blasting music for you. It’s an awesome show of camaraderie and community.
JOHN ROBERTS

Cold Community Dreams Music Nostalgia Rain Reality Run Stand
You can’t fight for your rights if you don’t know what they are.
JOHN ROBERTS

Fight Right Unknown Yourself
If it’s a situation in which the public is being given access, you can’t discriminate against the media and say, as a general matter, that the media don’t have access, because their access rights, of course, correspond with those of the public.
JOHN ROBERTS

Access Discrimination Media Public Right Situation
An important function of the Supreme Court is to provide guidance, As a lower court judge, I appreciate clear guidance from the Supreme Court.
JOHN ROBERTS

Court Function Guidance Important Judgement Myself
I find that when I tell lawyer jokes to a mixed audience, the lawyers don’t think they’re funny and the non-lawyers don’t think they’re jokes.
JOHN ROBERTS

Audience Joke Law Myself
Senator, my answer is that the independence and integrity of the Supreme Court requires that nominees before this committee for a position on that court not forecast, give predictions, give hints, about how they might rule in cases that might come before the Supreme Court,.
JOHN ROBERTS

Committee Court Independence Integrity Myself Prediction Rule
You don’t doubt that the lobby supporting the enactment of same sex-marriage laws in different states is politically powerful, do you? As far as I can tell, political figures are falling over themselves to endorse your side of the case.
JOHN ROBERTS

Case Different Doubt Fall Law Marriage Politics Sex Side Support
Judges are like umpires. Umpires don’t make the rules. They apply them.
JOHN ROBERTS

Apply Judgement Rule
The Romans had been able to post their laws on boards in public places, confidant that enough literate people existed to read them; far into the Middle Ages, even kings remained illiterate.
JOHN ROBERTS

Board Education Existence Law Literate People Place Public Reading
People, for reasons of their own, often fail to do things that would be good for them or good for society. Those failures – joined with the similar failures of others – can readily have a substantial effect on interstate commerce.
JOHN ROBERTS

Effect Failure Goodness People Reason Society Welfare
People, for reasons of their own, often fail to do things that would be good for them or good for society.
JOHN ROBERTS

Failure Goodness People Reason Society
The States are separate and independent sovereigns. Sometimes they need to act like it.
JOHN ROBERTS

Act Independent Need Politics Separate
If the Constitution says that the little guy should win, the little guy is going to win in court before me, … But if the Constitution says that the big guy should win, well, then the big guy is going to win because my obligation is to the Constitution.
JOHN ROBERTS

Constitution Guy Loyalty Myself Obligation Politics Responsibility Win
By ensuring that no one in government has too much power, the Constitution helps protect ordinary Americans every day against abuse of power by those in authority.
JOHN ROBERTS

Authority Government Help Ordinary Power Protection

If the Constitution says that the little guy should win, the little guy is going to win in court before me, … But if the Constitution says that the big guy should win, well, then the big guy is going to win because my obligation is to the Constitution.

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If the Constitution says that the little guy should win, the little guy is going to win in court before me, … But if the Constitution says that the big guy should win, well, then the big guy is going to win because my obligation is to the Constitution.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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