Congress is, after all, not a body of laymen unfamiliar with the commonplaces of our law. This legislation was the formulation of the two Judiciary Committees, all of whom are lawyers, and the Congress is predominately a lawyers' body.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes that Congress is composed mainly of lawyers who are knowledgeable about the law.
Felix Frankfurter highlights that members of Congress possess a legal background, which influences the formulation of legislation. Understanding the law's nuances is crucial for lawmakers, and this quote underscores the significance of having a legislative body filled with individuals who are well-versed in legal concepts and principles. It implies that the decisions made in Congress are rooted in a strong comprehension of legal practices, affecting how laws are crafted and interpreted.
In practice
During a seminar on the legislative process, one could quote this to illustrate the professional makeup of Congress.
Ultimately there can be no freedom for self unless it is vouchsafed for others; there can be no security where there is fear, and a democratic society presupposes confidence and candor in the relations of men with one another and eager collaboration for the larger ends of life instead of the pursuit of petty, selfish or vainglorious aims.
The accretion of dangerous power does not come in a day. It does come, however slowly, from the generative force of unchecked disregard of the restrictions that fence in even the most disinterested assertion of authority.
Democracy is always a beckoning goal, not a safe harbor. For freedom is an unremitting endeavor, never a final achievement.
Without a free press there can be no free society. That is axiomatic. However, freedom of the press is not an end in itself but a means to the end of a free society. The scope and nature of the constitutional guarantee of the freedom of the press are to be viewed and applied in that light.
The words of the Constitution... are so unrestricted by their intrinsic meaning or by their history or by tradition or by prior decisions that they leave the individual Justice free, if indeed they do not compel him, to gather meaning not from reading the Constitution but from reading life.
Litigation is the pursuit of practical ends, not a game of chess.
Using these unnamed sources, if done properly, carefully and fairly, provides more accountability in government.
Struggles do not end when countries attempt the transition to democracy.
A Conservative is a fellow who is standing athwart history yelling 'Stop!'
Let there be an end to the arrogance of the big powers who miss no opportunity to put the rights of the people in question. Africa's absence from the club of those who have the right to veto is unjust and should be ended.
Presidents have absolutely gone against the will of Congress. Congress hasn't declared a war since December 7, 1941, and yet we've been at war ever since with somebody or other in order to justify the war machine. Now we have alienated almost the entire earth
Democracy is the best chance for the best people.
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