John Roberts Quotes on Law & Regulation (33 Quotes)

I'd like them to start by saying he was confirmed, but whether they say that or not, the answer is the same I would like them to say I was a good judge,

If we're relying on a German judge about what our Constitution means, no president accountable to the people appointed that judge and no Senate accountable to the people confirmed that judge. And yet, he's playing a role in shaping the law that binds the people in this country.

No matter how lofty or sincerely held the goal, those who resort to violence to achieve it are criminals, ... neither the cause ... nor the target of their violence will in any way be considered to mitigate the seriousness of their offense against our laws.

The notion that that was my view is totally inconsistent and rebutted by my life. I married a lawyer. I was raised with three sisters who work outside the home. I have a daughter for whom I will insist at every turn that she has equal citizenship rights with her brother.

I think it is a jolt to the legal system when you overturn precedent. ... It is not enough that you may think that a prior decision was wrongly decided,

Senator, I believe that no one is above the law under our system, and that includes the president. The president is fully bound by the law, the constitution and statutes.

I know there are people of strongly held views on both sides of the issue ... And I know that the responsibility of a judge confronting this issue is to decide the case according to the rule of law consistent with the precedents, not to take sides in the dispute as a matter of policy, but to decide it according to the law.

Like most people, I resist the labels. I have told people, when pressed, that I prefer to be known as a modest judge. And, to me, that means some of the things that you talked about in those other labels. It means an appreciation that the role of the judge is limited the judge is to decide the cases before them they're not to legislate they're not to execute the laws.

I have been fortunate for the past two years to serve on a court in which all of the judges ... put aside those (political) ties and those views and become judges all focused on the same mission of vindicating the rule of law. And if you look at the decisions of the D.C. Circuit, you'll see that we're almost always unanimous. We almost always come out the same way and to the extent there are disagreements, they don't shape up along political lines,

Senator, that's a question that I don't think can be answered in the abstract. You need to know the particular circumstances and exactly what the facts are and what the legislation would be like, because the argument on the other side -- and as a judge, I would obviously be in a position of considering both arguments the argument for the legislature and the argument for the executive. The argument on the executive side will rely on authority as commander in chief and whatever authorities derive from that.

Judge Roberts told the Senate Judiciary Committee judicial robes are not a license to go out and decide, 'I think this is an injustice and so I'm going to do something to fix it.' ... Such judicial activism is inconsistent with the role the Framers intended. ... under God.

One reason people admire justice Jackson so much is that although he had strong views as attorney general, he recognized when he became a member of the Supreme Court that his job had changed, and he was not the president's lawyer,

Judge Roberts, the legal automaton, as opposed to Judge Roberts, the man.

allows the judge to incorporate his or her own personal preferences, cloak them with the authority of precedent -- because they're finding precedent in foreign law -- and use that to determine the meaning of the Constitution.

He did what a judge should do not give any indication on any specific case or how he might look at that because if he does, he's not going to be the impartial arbiter a judge should be,

Of course gender discrimination is a serious problem. It's a particular concern of mine and always has been. I grew up with three sisters, all of whom work outside the home. I married a lawyer who works outside the home. I have a young daughter who I hope will have all of the opportunities available to her without regard to any gender discrimination. There's no suggestion in anything that I've written of any resistance to the basic idea of full citizenship without regard to gender.

An important function of the Supreme Court is to provide guidance, ... As a lower court judge, I appreciate clear guidance from the Supreme Court.

No, I don't think there is, ... You look outside yourself, to other sources. This is the basis for judges (to) wear black robes, because it doesn't matter who they are as individuals . . . it's their understanding of the law that will shape the decision.

Somebody asked me, 'are you going to be on the side of the little guy' And you obviously want to give an immediate answer. But as you reflect on it, 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, the big guy is going to win, because my obligation is to the Constitution. That's the oath. The oath that a judge takes is not that 'I'll look out for particular interests' the oath is to uphold the Constitution and laws of the United States and that is what I would do.

I would resist the suggestion that I'm racially insensitive, ... I know why the phrase, 'Equal Justice Under Law' is carved in marble above the Supreme Court entrance.

We must evaluate not only his qualifications, but also his ability to keep an open mind, his sensitivity to the concerns of all Americans and their right to equal protection under the laws not only his intellectual capacity, but his judgment and wisdom not only his achievements, but his fairness and his courage to stand up to the other branches of government when they infringe on the rights and liberties of our citizens.

The approach, ... (is) to avoid giving specific responses to any direct questions on legal issues likely to come before the court, but demonstrating in the response a firm command of the subject area and awareness of the relevant precedents and arguments.

If we're relying on a decision from a German judge about what our Constitution means, no president accountable to the people appointed that judge and no Senate accountable to the people confirmed that judge. And yet he's playing a role in shaping the law that binds the people in this country. I think that's a concern that has to be addressed.

I will be vigilant to protect the independence and integrity of the Supreme Court. I will work to ensure that it upholds the rule of law and safeguards those liberties that make this land one of endless possibilities for all Americans.

Umpires don't make the rules. They apply them. The role of an umpire and a judge is critical. They make sure everybody plays by the rules. But it is a limited role.

No, I don't think there is. Sometimes it's hard to give meaning to a constitutional term in a particular case. But you don't look to your own values and beliefs. You look outside yourself to other sources. This is the basis for you know, judges wear black robes because it doesn't matter who they are as individuals. That's not going to shape their decision. It's their understanding of the law that will shape their decision.

It is to me, obvious in the memo that I wrote to Fred Fielding that it was about whether or not it's good to have more lawyers. Whether they were from homemakers, from plumbers, from artists or truck drivers had nothing to do with it,

I'm not standing for election and it is contrary to the role of judges in our society to say that this judge should go on the bench because this is his or her position and those are the positions they're going to apply,

Roberts replied that any judge would first turn to Roe's reaffirmation in Casey. It's a settled precedent of the court, entitled to respect under principles of stare decisis, ... And those principles, applied in the Casey case, explain when cases should be revisited and when they should not.

there's no role for advocacy with respect to personal beliefs or views on the part of a judge.

an anti-women's rights, anti-civil rights judge.

I look to the law books, ... I don't look to the Bible.

Feingold said it was not an easy decision ... has the legal skills, judgement and the character to be a good chief justice.