Political Quotes

“we need to deal resolutely with terrorism. And we will. But if, in the guise of combating terrorism, we diminish the fundamental civil liberties that Americans have enjoyed for two centuries, then the terrorists will have won. With deep regret, but with a clear conscience, I will vote against the conference report to S. 735 as now presented. Exhibit 1 Emergency Committee To Save Habeas Corpus, May 23, 1995. The President, The White House, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. President: We understand that the Senate may act, as soon as tomorrow, on the habeas corpus provisions in Senator Dole's terrorism legislation. Among these provisions is a requirement that federal courts must defer to state courts incorrectly applying federal constitutional law, unless it can be said that the state ruling was "unreasonable" incorrect. This is a variation of the proposal by the Reagan and Bush administrations to strip the federal courts of the power to enforce the Constitution when the state court's interpretation of it, though clearly wrong, had been issued after a "full and fair adjudication." The Emergency Committee was formed in 1991 to fight this extreme proposal. Our membership consists of both supporters and opponents of the death penalty, Republicans and Democrats, united in the belief that the federal habeas corpus process can be dramatically streamlined without jeopardizing its constitutional core.…”