To threaten the institution is to threaten fair administration of justice and protection of liberty.
Stephen Breyer

But once the person is selected, at that point that person is independent.
Stephen Breyer

I think it shows that if you have one group of people doing it, you'll get another group of people doing it.
Stephen Breyer

It's important to every American that the law protect his or her basic liberty.
Stephen Breyer

Judges are appointed often through the political process.
Stephen Breyer

Every citizen has to figure out what kind of government he or she wants.
Stephen Breyer

You can have many different selection systems, but the bottom line has to be a system that, once the judge takes office that judge will feel that he or she is to decide the case without reference to the popular thing or the popular will of the moment.
Stephen Breyer

Well, just that there would be somebody in the office and the voters - it was more or less an understanding in the entire community, as long as that person was doing a good job on the merits, nobody was going to run against him.
Stephen Breyer