John Roberts Quotes on Constitution (11 Quotes)

She was, she said, disappointed when Roberts was asked by another Democrat whether he agreed that there is a 'general' right to privacy provided in the Constitution. ... I wouldn't use the phrase 'general,' because I don't know what that means.

Senator, I believe that no one is above the law under our system, and that includes the president. The president is fully bound by the law, the constitution and statutes.

I do think the right to privacy (used by the Supreme Court to declare a constitutional right to have an abortion) is protected under the Constitution in various ways.

I appreciate and respect the constitutional role of the Senate in the appointment process, and I'm very grateful to the senators for accommodating me,

We continue to believe that Roe was wrongly decided and should be overruled. .... The court's conclusions in Roe that there is a fundamental right to an abortion and that government has no compelling interest in protecting prenatal human life throughout pregnancy find no support in ... the Constitution.

It was the same story when Roberts was asked whether he believed in a person's right to privacy, a cornerstone of Roe v. Wade. Senator, I do. The right to privacy is protected under the Constitution in various ways, ... matters of conscience.

allows the judge to incorporate his or her own personal preferences, cloak them with the authority of precedent -- because they're finding precedent in foreign law -- and use that to determine the meaning of the Constitution.

Somebody asked me, 'are you going to be on the side of the little guy' And you obviously want to give an immediate answer. But as you reflect on it, if the Constitution says that the little guy should win, the little guy is going to win in court before me. But, if the Constitution says that the big guy should win, well, the big guy is going to win, because my obligation is to the Constitution. That's the oath. The oath that a judge takes is not that 'I'll look out for particular interests' the oath is to uphold the Constitution and laws of the United States and that is what I would do.

If the Constitution says that the little guy should win, the little guy's going to win in court before me, ... But if the Constitution says that the big guy should win, well, then the big guy's going to win.

No, I don't think there is. Sometimes it's hard to give meaning to a constitutional term in a particular case. But you don't look to your own values and beliefs. You look outside yourself to other sources. This is the basis for you know, judges wear black robes because it doesn't matter who they are as individuals. That's not going to shape their decision. It's their understanding of the law that will shape their decision.

I do think the chief justice has a particular obligation to try to achieve consensus consistent with everyone's individual oath to uphold the Constitution, and that would certainly be a priority for me.