What many of those who oppose the use of juries in civil trials seem to ignore is that the founders of our Nation considered the right of trial by jury in civil cases an important bulwark against tyranny and corruption, a safeguard too precious to be left to the whim of the sovereign, or, it might be added, to that of the judiciary.
William RehnquistThe Constitution requires that Congress treat similarly situated persons similarly, not that it engages in gestures of superficial equality.
William RehnquistSomewhere "out there," beyond the walls of the courthouse, run currents and tides of public opinion which lap at the courtroom door.
William RehnquistWe start with first principles. The Constitution creates a Federal Government of enumerated powers.
William RehnquistA father's interest in having a child--perhaps his only child--may be unmatched by any other interest in his life. It is truly surprising that the state must assign a greater value to a mother's decision to cut off a potential human life by abortion than to a father's decision to let it mature into a live child.
William RehnquistThe "wall of separation between church and State" is a metaphor based on bad history.
William RehnquistIt is impossible to build sound constitutional doctrine upon a mistaken understanding of Constitutional history... The establishment clause has been expressly freighted with Jefferson's misleading metaphor for nearly forty years... There is simply no historical foundation for the proposition that the framers intended to build a wall of separation... The recent court decisions are in no way based on either the language or intent of the framers.
William Rehnquist