Frans Timmermans Quotes

Nobody wants a judge to be subject to the political whim of the moment.

The judiciary must be strengthened and released from political interference.

The judiciary must not take on the coloration of whatever may be popular at the moment. We are guardian of rights, and we have to tell people things they often do not like to hear.

If the country comes to believe that judges are politicians in robes no end of difficulty will come from that.

The fact that the judiciary makes foolish rulings doesn’t mean the government should intervene.

One single object... will merit the endless gratitude of society: that of restraining the judges from usurping legislation

If judges were just secret legislators, declaring not what the law is but what they would like it to be, the very idea of a government by the people and for the people would be at risk. And those who came to court would live in fear, never sure exactly what governs them except the judge’s will. As Alexander Hamilton explained, "liberty can have nothing to fear from” judges who apply the law, but liberty "ha[s] every thing to fear" if judges try to legislate too.

Members of the Supreme Court have lifetime tenures because they're not supposed to do politics.

A president shouldn't tell the judiciary what to do.

This principle that judges are not politicians lies at the very heart of a judicial job - of the judicial job description.

My obligation as president, and what I promise the country, is that the courts will be able to do their job free of all pressure.

At least there's a political input, but when you put on the robe, at that point the politics is over.

The bedrock of our democracy is the rule of law and that means we have to have an independent judiciary, judges who can make decisions independent of the political winds that are blowing.

Judges are appointed often through the political process.

A federal judge did as he was supposed to do and upheld the Constitution. We should be thankful that we have judiciary that will do that.

Judges must be free from political intervention or intimidation.

The Supreme Court needs jurists, not politicians.

I do not think that we should select judges based on a particular philosophy as opposed to temperament, commitment to judicial neutrality and commitment to other more constant values as to which there is general consensus.

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

Judges are not politicians who can promise things in exchange for support.

Statutes and constitutions do not protect judicial independence -- people do.

Our Constitution was not written in the sands to be washed away by each successive wave of new judges blown in by each successive political wind.

Of all officers of government, those in whose appointment any participation of popular suffrage is the most objectionable are judicial officers.

Republicans say to Democrats, “Your judges are political activists.” The Democrats respond to the Republicans, “Your judges are political activists.” So the public thinks that all judges are political activists and just politicians in robes. This is very worrying.

We in Congress don’t have much influence on the Supreme Court. We confirm judges and then we never hear from them. They don’t call. They don’t write.