[Court] is an institution that depends on making tough decisions in close cases for reasons that it explains well and that, in the past at least, have proven satisfactory to the public.
SANDRA DAY O'CONNORI do not believe it is the function of the judiciary to step in and change the law because the times have changed. I do well understand the difference between legislating and judging. As a judge, it is not my function to develop public policy.
More Sandra Day O'Connor Quotes
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(W)e do not count heads before enforcing the First Amendment.
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It is a measure of the framers’ fear that a passing majority might find it expedient to compromise 4th Amendment values that these values were embodied in the Constitution itself.
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Having family responsibilities and concerns just has to make you a more understanding person.
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Despite the encouraging and wonderful gains and the changes for women which have occurred in my lifetime, there is still room to advance and to promote correction of the remaining deficiencies and imbalances.
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The freedom to criticize judges and other public officials is necessary to a vibrant democracy.
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And I went off to Stanford, I was pretty young and pretty naive. And I had a professor I really loved, who was himself a lawyer.
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If parents instill a sense of civic-mindedness – and there is no better way to do that than by example – their children will probably follow.
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Slaying the dragon of delay is no sport for the short-winded.
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I loved my husband very much, and it was heartbreaking to have him develop Alzheimer’s disease, and to stand by and watch him decline in his ability to take care of himself.
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The power I exert on the court depends on the power of the power of my arguments, not my gender
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Liberty finds no refuge in a jurisprudence of doubt.
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Society as a whole benefits immeasurably from a climate in which all persons, regardless of race or gender, may have the opportunity to earn respect, responsibility, advancement and remuneration based on ability.
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My hope is that 10 years from now, after I’ve been across the street at work for a while, they’ll all be glad they gave me that wonderful vote.
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It is true that as you have children, there are a good many months when you don’t want to be working full-time. I agree that that’s an issue.
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We have a complex system of government. You have to teach it to every generation.
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