75 Quotes by Thurgood Marshall

Our whole constitutional heritage rebels at the thought of giving government the power to control men's minds.

If the First Amendment means anything, it means that a state has no business telling a man, sitting alone in his house, what books he may read or what films he may watch.

Mere access to the courthouse doors does not by itself assure a proper functioning of the adversary process.

Ending racial discrimination in jury selection can be accomplished only by eliminating peremptory challenges entirely.

If the 1st Amendment means anything, it means that a state has no business telling a man, sitting alone in his own house, what books he may read or what films he may watch.

[Jurors who are opposed to capital punishment are] more likely to believe that a defendant's failure to testify is indicative of his guilt, more hostile to the insanity defense, more mistrustful of defense attorneys and less concerned about the danger of erroneous convictions.

Even if all parties approach the court's mandate with the best of conscious intentions, ... that mandate requires them to confront and overcome their own racism on all levels a challenge I doubt all of them can meet.

The equal protection clause does not require proportional representation, ... meaningless ballots.

The First Amendment serves not only the needs of the polity but also those of the human spirit- a spirit that demands self-expression .