QuoteProject
I am deeply impressed with the gravity and wisdom with which most federal judges approach the responsibility of sentencing. It is a difficult, soul-searching task at best.
Robert Kennedy
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Judges take their sentencing responsibilities seriously, often reflecting deeply on their decisions.

In this quote, Robert Kennedy acknowledges the profound responsibility that federal judges have when it comes to sentencing. He highlights the gravity of this task, recognizing that it involves significant introspection and moral consideration, as judges weigh the consequences of their decisions not only on the individuals being sentenced but also on society as a whole.

Themes

JudgesSentencingResponsibilityJusticeWisdom

In practice

Example use cases

During a seminar on judicial ethics, one might quote this to highlight the seriousness of sentencing.

More from Robert Kennedy

If freedom makes social progress possible, so social progress strengthens and enlarges freedom. The two are inseparable partners in the great adventure of humanity.
Robert KennedyRead
Elections remind us not only of the rights but the responsibilities of citizenship in a democracy.
Robert KennedyRead
Within the United States, we have put great emphasis upon political freedoms. Because it has been our experience that these freedoms can lead to others.
Robert KennedyRead
It is one thing to open job opportunities. It is another to train people to fill them, or to persuade American enterprise to seek Negro as well as white applicants.
Robert KennedyRead
Our attitude towards immigration reflects our faith in the American ideal. We have always believed it possible for men and women who start at the bottom to rise as far as the talent and energy allow. Neither race nor place of birth should affect their chances.
Robert KennedyRead
The Gross National Product measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country. It measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile, and it can tell us everything about America - except whether we are proud to be Americans.
Robert KennedyRead

Similar quotes

The law regards man as man, and takes no account of his surroundings or of his color when his civil rights as guaranteed by the supreme law of the land are involved.
John Marshall HarlanRead
The reasonableness of the agency of the national courts in cases in which the state tribunals cannot be supposed to be impartial, speaks for itself. No man ought certainly to be a judge in his own cause, or in any cause in respect to which he has the least interest or bias.
Alexander HamiltonRead
Lack of lawful access certainly affects our ability to do our jobs, but we know where the harm really falls when evidence is kept unavailable - it falls on innocent people, the people we're sworn to protect.
Christopher A. WrayRead
Rule-following, legal precedence, and political consistency are not more important than right, justice and plain common-sense.
W. E. B. Du BoisRead
Justice turns the scale, bringing to some learning through suffering.
AeschylusRead
While mass incarceration is a national crisis, it was built locally.
James Forman, Jr.Read

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.