But I wound like people to think I was an honest judge and a good judge. And I always tried the reach the best result in every case.
John Paul StevensRead
It might be added that corporations have no consciences, no beliefs, no feelings, no thoughts, no desires. Corporations help structure and facilitate the activities of human beings, to be sure, and their ‘personhood’ often serves as a useful legal fiction. But they are not themselves members of ‘We the People’ by whom and for whom our Constitution was established.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the distinction between corporations and individuals, emphasizing that corporations lack inherent human qualities.
In this quote, John Paul Stevens argues that corporations, often treated as legal entities with rights, do not possess the moral and emotional characteristics that define human beings. He suggests that while corporations play a significant role in facilitating human activities, they should not be conflated with the individuals who make up society, especially in the context of constitutional rights. This perspective challenges the perception of corporate personhood and raises questions about the influence of corporations in governance and society.
Themes
CorporationsPersonhoodRightsSocietyConstitution
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about corporate regulation and ethics at a business seminar.
More from John Paul Stevens
All quotes →It is not our job to apply laws that have not yet been written.
John Paul StevensRead
I think this country would be much better off if we did not have capital punishment.... We cannot ignore the fact that in recent years a disturbing number of inmates on death row have been exonerated.
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While money is used to finance speech, money is not speech.
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But I really think it's a very unfortunate part of our judicial system and I would feel much, much better if more states would really consider whether they think the benefits outweigh the very serious potential injustice, because in these cases the emotions are very, very high on both sides and to have stakes as high as you do in these cases, there is a special potential for error. We cannot ignore the fact that in recent years a disturbing number of inmates on death row have been exonerated.
John Paul StevensRead
For over 200 years after the adoption of the Second Amendment, it was uniformly understood as not placing any limit on either federal or state authority to enact gun control legislation.
John Paul StevensRead
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