William Howard Taft Quotes

But, I know enough people in that court, through the years, to know one thing: There's always somebody who surprises you, who rises above what they thought they appointed him for, and stays with the separation of powers, and with the right of the law to decide.

Were I confirmed as a judge, I would decide cases according to the rule of law beginning to end.

The courtroom is a quiet place, Judge Roberts, where you park your political ideology, and you call the balls and you call the strikes.

Judges shall judge justly, according to the written law and not according to their own judgment.

… it [is] a judge's duty to decide, not to debate.

The court can, and must, only maintain its legitimacy through the dispensation of justice, not by coercion and censorship.

A judge must be independent and must interpret the law, not make the law.

The judge is not the knight-errant, roaming at will in pursuit of his own ideal of beauty or of goodness.

The judiciary must be independent, impartial and autonomous to impart justice to the people and establish rule of law in the society.

[Discussing the confirmation process:] A judge sworn to decide impartially can offer no forecasts, no hints, for that would show not only disregard for the specifics of the particular case, it would display disdain for the entire judicial process.

A judge who likes every opinion he reaches is a bad judge.

Lady Justice doesn't have empathy for anyone. She rules strictly based upon the law, and that's really the only way that our system can function properly under the Constitution.

My judicial philosophy is straightforward.

My rule was I will not answer a question that attempts to project how I will rule in a case that might come before the court.

Who thinks the law has anything to do with justice? It's what we have because we can't have justice.

The acid test of any legal system is not the greatness or the grandeur of its ideal concepts, but whether, in fact, it is able to produce order and justice.

At a time when our moral standing in the world has been weakened by a rubber stamp Justice Department that placed the Bush Administration above the law, we now need someone who is objective and independent. And, make no mistake, Eric Holder is independent.

The enforcement of the law cannot depend on the justice of a cause or one man's conscience.

The state of law is equal for all people. It cannot depend on electoral politics.

Any successful nominee should possess both the temperament to interpret the law and the wisdom to do so fairly. The next Supreme Court Justice should have a record of protecting individual rights and a strong willingness to put aside any political agenda.

I respect people who feel things passionately. I do. But when someone is a judge, that is not what they should bring to the bench. It is not really passion, except in rare instances, that serves the bench well. It is, rather, an ability to understand the law and follow it.

A judge can't have any preferred outcome in any particular case. The judge's only obligation - and it's a solemn obligation - is to the rule of law.

It must be a judge - never a politician - who decides whether someone is to be locked up.

More law, less justice.

Empathy is a virtue, but it should not be a guiding judicial principle.