The majority's refusal even to consider the life-altering consequences of reversing Roe and Casey is a stunning indictment of its decision.
Stephen Breyer
The Public Record
US Supreme Court justice from 1994 to 2022
★ Featured Quote
March 23, 2024
I thought Roe should not be overturned. I thought Casey should not be overturned.
— Stephen Breyer
What we fear: They think this will be simpler, the majority, because it will leave it all up to the states. We don't think it will be simpler. We think that there will be a lot more cases coming up.
It's not just an election. Imagine you were on the court that decided Brown v. Board of Education. Imagine that you were on the court that – that had to decide, for example, whether President Nixon was immune from giving – didn't have to…
Did you -- did I like this Dobbs decision? Of course, I didn't. Of course, I didn't. Was I happy about it? Not for an instant? Did I do everything I could to persuade people? Of course, of course.
I am glad today for Ketanji, her hard work, integrity and intelligence have earned her a place on this court. I`m glad for my fellow justices. They get a colleague who is empathetic, thoughtful and collegial. I am glad for America. Ketanji…
We can do it best by helping ensure that the Constitution remains workable in a broad sense of the term.
If you're going to have a free enterprise economy then you must have a strong and effective antitrust law.
I know that my role as a judge is a limited one, but the Constitution empowers me only to decide cases and controversies that are properly presented.
What is law supposed to do, seen as a whole? It is supposed to allow all people--all people--to live together in a society, where they have so many different views, so many different needs, to live together in a way that is more…
I commit to you that I will work productively to support and defend the Constitution and this grand experiment of American democracy that has endured of these past 246 years.