We have a complex system of government. You have to teach it to every generation.
SANDRA DAY O'CONNORDo the best you can in every task, no matter how unimportant it may seem at the time. No one learns more about a problem than the person at the bottom.
More Sandra Day O'Connor Quotes
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I 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.
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I sort of thought the framers of the Constitution were talking about the rights of individuals, not corporate entities.
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I finally gave up my little law practice and stayed home for about three years. You have to do what you can to keep the family going. But I wanted to get back to work. So I got another babysitter and went to work as an Assistant Attorney General.
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The fact is that knowledge about the Constitution and the Court is not something that is handed down through the gene pool; every generation has to learn it. And I’m not sure the recent generations have done that good a job of learning about it.
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Unfortunately civility is hard to codify or legislate, but you know it when you see it. It’s possible to disagree without being disagreeable.
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(W)e do not count heads before enforcing the First Amendment.
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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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[G]overnment endorsement . . . of religion . . . sends a message to nonadherents that they are outsiders, not full members of the political community, and an accompanying message to adherents that they are insiders, favored members of the political community.
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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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I think it’s inevitable that some of the court’s decisions will be found by a segment of the public to be not the right decision or subject to criticism.
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I like to think that the court will continue to be held in high regard by the public. I think it should be.
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Having family responsibilities and concerns just has to make you a more understanding person.
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I tried to decide each case based on the law and the Constitution.
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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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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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