John Roberts Quotes on Duty (6 Quotes)

I know there are people of strongly held views on both sides of the issue ... And I know that the responsibility of a judge confronting this issue is to decide the case according to the rule of law consistent with the precedents, not to take sides in the dispute as a matter of policy, but to decide it according to the law.

I will try to ensure, in the discharge of my responsibilities, that, with the help of my colleagues, I can pass on to my children's generation a charter of self-government as strong and as vibrant as the one that Chief Justice Rehnquist passed on to us.

The law does, by its terms, impose a duty on the president, ... The nature of the duty is admittedly very vague.

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.

Again, it is the obligation of the courts to decide particular cases, ... Often that means acting on the side of justice as we understand it, enforcing the Bill of Rights, enforcing the equal protection clause.

The bill of rights remains the same, and the obligation of the Court to protect those basic liberties in times of peace and in times of war and in times of stress and in times of calm, that doesn't change,