James Wilson Quotes
In order to enable and encourage a representative of the publick to discharge his publick trust with firmness and success, it is indispensably necessary that he should enjoy the fullest liberty of speech, and that he should be protected from the resentment of everyone, however powerful, to whom the exercise of that liberty may occasion offence
James Wilson, 1742-1798, U. S. Supreme Court Justice, Quoted in Earl Warren, Powell v. McCormack, 1969
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Adams had submitted to the House a petition from some of his constituents calling for a dissolution of the Union on the grounds that the existence of slavery nullified a sufficient part of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights so that the union should be nullified and in effect anti slavery states such as Massachusetts would not be bound by slavery supporters blocking anti-slavery legislation. State’s rights and succession cut both ways potentially in America’s race history. The vast majority of the house members were indignant that any responsible member would introduce a petition, and there were calls for Adam’s expulsion from the House from the majority of the members. The leadership however thought this might set some bad precedents, and tried to persuade the membership to on the grounds of mercy and comity just censure him. Adams responded with this famous quotation cutting the legs from under both the leadership and the membership with the result being that no action was taken.
Islamic modernists like Serageldin are many among the educated Muslims but their views are often drowned out by the violence and extremist statements of the fundamentalists. Even in England it is difficult to expose corruption because of the libel laws. In most countries, it is almost impossible which is one of the reasons corruption is so widespread. American law says that it is better to mistakenly hurt some public figures’ reputation than suppress the ability of citizens to criticize and expose corruption.
There are many in modern times who believe that the modern Congressman has “lost touch” with the people and does not meet Mason’s criteria.
This is the justification of virtually all legislatures that exempt their members from general requirements of law or grant them special privileges. Occasionally, the justification is warranted; most often, not.
This principle was incorporated into American law by the Supreme Court 1964 decision in Sullivan v. New York Times, where this argument drove the opinion.
First amendment protect speech and publication even if it is slanderous or libelous as long as the subject is a public figure or public official and the falsehoods or errors are not malicious.
Chief legal officer of a Dutch town. He wanted to have a plebiscite in each town on major issues before the assembly so as to instruct the representative as to how to vote. The graphic is a painting of Adriaan van Zeebergh and his board of the Teylers Stichting.
Pardee was out of office at the time he made this statement.
This distinction is the basis for the Supreme Court Decision in New York Times v Sullivan where they ruled that the libel of a public figure is not to be punished unless it was malicious and not just defamatory. In England, a person can be sued for slandering a politician. Worse, truth is not an absolute defense in a libel suit in England as it is in the United States.
There were many in England and America who thought that political parties or “factions” as the Americans called them were inimical to republican government. Smyth disagreed and thought parties necessary for freedom and democracy. Turkey at the time was an Islamic Empire that while in decline still controlled large parts of Europe and most of North Africa. However, the Sultan had absolute control over both “church and state”. He was like the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor in one person, There was no freedom of thought or speech.
She was one of the very few remaining bi Partisan Republicans. There had been a de facto purge of liberal Republicans from the party.
James Wilson was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and a signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. Wilson was elected twice to the Continental Congress, where he represented Pennsylvania, and was a major force in drafting the United States Constitution. A leading legal theorist, he was one of the six original justices appointed by George Washington to the Supreme Court of the United States.
