Whenever we remove a brick from the wall that was designed to separate religion and government, we increase the risk of religious strife and weaken the foundation of our democracy.
John Paul StevensWhen the commission finds that a pig has entered the parlor, the exercise of its regulatory power does not depend on proof the pig is obscene.
John Paul StevensThe level of discourse reaching a mailbox simply cannot be limited to that which would be suitable for a sandbox.
John Paul StevensAlthough it may not be a castle, [it is the] functional equivalent of a hotel room, a vacation and retirement home or a hunting and fishing cabin.
John Paul StevensBut I really think it's a very unfortunate part of our judicial system and I would feel much, much better if more states would really consider whether they think the benefits outweigh the very serious potential injustice, because in these cases the emotions are very, very high on both sides and to have stakes as high as you do in these cases, there is a special potential for error. We cannot ignore the fact that in recent years a disturbing number of inmates on death row have been exonerated.
John Paul Stevens