The task of a judge is not to make the law - it is to apply the law.

I listened very, very carefully to the world around me to pick up the signals of when trouble was coming. Not that I could stop it. But it made me observant. That was helpful when I became a lawyer, because I knew how to read people's signals. When a witness hesitated, my mind would race to the conclusion that he was trying to hide something. What was it? I'd dissect the story in my brain and nine times out of ten figure out a hole they were trying to avoid.

Looking out at that crowd, I imagined those who had not yet arrived, minority students who, in years to come, would make this multitude of faces, the view from where I now stood, a little more various. If they could have heard me, I would have confided in them: As you discover what strength you can draw from your community in this world from which it stands apart, look outward as well as inward. Build bridges instead of walls.

I firmly believe in the rule of law as the foundation for all of our basic rights.

I think being a Catholic made me a better person. It taught me how to choose good over evil, and how to be a more caring human being.

If the issue is letting the states experiment and letting the society have more time to figure out its direction, why is taking a case now the answer?

My job as a prosecutor is to do justice. And justice is served when a guilty man is convicted and an innocent man is not.