But I wound like people to think I was an honest judge and a good judge. And I always tried the reach the best result in every case.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of integrity and striving for fairness in judgment.
John Paul Stevens expresses his desire for people to view him as an honest and fair judge. This highlights the ethical responsibility of judges to seek just outcomes in their decisions, reflecting a commitment to the principles of justice and the rule of law.
In practice
In a speech about the judicial system, one could reference this quote to emphasize the values of honesty and fair decision-making.
It might be added that corporations have no consciences, no beliefs, no feelings, no thoughts, no desires. Corporations help structure and facilitate the activities of human beings, to be sure, and their ‘personhood’ often serves as a useful legal fiction. But they are not themselves members of ‘We the People’ by whom and for whom our Constitution was established.
It is not our job to apply laws that have not yet been written.
I think this country would be much better off if we did not have capital punishment.... We cannot ignore the fact that in recent years a disturbing number of inmates on death row have been exonerated.
While money is used to finance speech, money is not speech.
But I really think it's a very unfortunate part of our judicial system and I would feel much, much better if more states would really consider whether they think the benefits outweigh the very serious potential injustice, because in these cases the emotions are very, very high on both sides and to have stakes as high as you do in these cases, there is a special potential for error. We cannot ignore the fact that in recent years a disturbing number of inmates on death row have been exonerated.
For over 200 years after the adoption of the Second Amendment, it was uniformly understood as not placing any limit on either federal or state authority to enact gun control legislation.
Justice and goodwill will outlast passion.
Swift justice demands more than just swiftness.
There can be no equal justice where the kind of trial a man gets depends on the amount of money he has.
It is indeed an odd business that it has taken this Court nearly two centuries to discover a constitutional mandate to have counsel at a preliminary hearing.
Most states in the union where the death penalty is theoretically on the books don't have executions.
Justice, not expedience, must be the guiding light. The orator must fix his eye on the polestar of justice, and plough straight thither. The moment he glances toward expediency, he falls from his high estate.
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