We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of “separate but equal” has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.
Earl Warren (1891-1974) American jurist and politician; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1953-69)
Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954) [unanimous opinion]
(Source)
Quotations by:
Warren, Earl
A citizen’s constitutional rights can hardly be infringed simply because a majority of the people choose that it be.
Earl Warren (1891-1974) American jurist and politician; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1953-69)
Lucas v. Colorado General Assembly, 377 U.S. 713, majority opinion (1964)
Undoubtedly, the right of suffrage is a fundamental in a free and democratic society. Especially since the right to exercise the franchise in a free and unimpaired manner is preservative of other basic civil and political rights, any alleged infringement of the right of citizens to vote must be carefully and meticulously scrutinized.
Earl Warren (1891-1974) American jurist and politician; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1953-69)
Reynolds v. Sims, 377 U.S. 533, 561-562 (1964) [majority opinion]
(Source)
Implicit in the term “national defense” is the notion of defending those values and ideas which set this Nation apart. … It would indeed be ironic if, in the name of national defense, we would sanction the subversion of … those liberties … which makes the defense of the Nation worthwhile.
Earl Warren (1891-1974) American jurist and politician; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1953-69)
US v. Robel, 389 US 258 (1967)
The abhorrence of society to the use of involuntary confessions does not turn alone on their inherent untrustworthiness. It also turns on the deep-rooted feeling that the police must obey the law while enforcing the law; that, in the end, life and liberty can be as much endangered from illegal methods used to convict those thought to be criminals as from the actual criminals themselves.
Earl Warren (1891-1974) American jurist and politician; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1953-69)
Majority opinion, Spano v New York, 360 U.S. 315 (1959)
Full text.
Many people consider the things which government does for them to be social progress, but they consider the things government does for others as socialism.
Earl Warren (1891-1974) American jurist and politician; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1953-69)
Speech, Madison, Wisconsin (Jun 1955)