59 Quotes by John Paul Stevens

As Thurgood Marshall observed on more than one occasion, the Constitution does not prohibit Congress from enacting stupid laws.

To make a coverage decision, doesn't one have to make a medical judgment?

The practice of executing such offenders is a relic of the past and is inconsistent with evolving standards of decency in a civilized society.

To show a 'well-founded fear of persecution', an alien need not prove that it is more likely than not that he or she will be persecuted in his or her home country.

They may not be conscripted against their will as the foot soldiers in a federal crusade.

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.

The interest in encouraging freedom of expression in a democratic society outweighs any theoretical but unproven benefit of censorship.

When the commission finds that a pig has entered the parlor, the exercise of its regulatory power does not depend on proof that the pig is obscene.

It is not our job to apply laws that have not yet been written.