The interest in encouraging freedom of expression in a democratic society outweighs any theoretical but unproven benefit of censorship.
John Paul StevensJust as the right to speak and the right to refrain from speaking are complementary components of a broader concept of individual freedom, so also the individual's freedom to choose his own creed is the counterpart of his right to refrain from accepting the creed established by the majority.
John Paul StevensRequiring that an execution be relatively painless...actually undermines the very premise on which public approval of the retribution rationale is based.
John Paul Stevens