judges-from-the-united-states

"The song birds are the sweetest In Kentucky; The thoroughbreds are the fleetest In Kentucky; Mountains tower proudest, Thunder peals the loudest, The landscape is the grandest — And politics — the damnedest In Kentucky."

"“From both sides of my family, [there is] a very heavy emphasis on the importance of education, which is something that has really been the key to my ability to do what I’ve done … To take my education seriously, and to be able to go to college and beyond that has absolutely been foundational to my success.”"

"Every single family in my years of tribal court work had a story to tell about that."

"“On both sides of my family, governments, other entities, really sought to wipe us out … My father really instilled in me the importance of recognizing that I came from people who persisted, people who were lucky enough to survive, and that my existence is dependent upon those people’s persistence and resilience.”"

"My view has been since the moment I decided to apply for this position, I'm going to be who I am."

"I became really interested in how the law functions as this underpinning of our society and codifies the ways we interact with each other in ways that we don't even really think about."

"I know that and can address those issues in a systematic way, recognizing that these families are complex systems and that the parents come to the court not solely borne out oftheir own difficulties and bad choices, but also out ofthe pattern of abuse and neglect that has been part oftheir family for generations."

"I don't know that there's ever been a drum group or those sounds in that building. But there are now, and I wanted to make a public statement that we're here — and that I belong there."

"All children deserve stability and most agree that a child in foster care lacks stability."

"Despite the efforts of many tribal judges and the good intentions of state courts, we find ourselves continually justifYing our existence and our skill sets."

"“I was raised to remember that I come from those who survived.”"

"I’m not afforded the presumption of neutrality or objectivity that my colleagues are — I have to prove that I am neutral or objective."

"I've had people say, ‘You don't look like a judge,’ and they've said that in lots of different ways. [But] I do look like a Supreme Court justice, because I am one."

"If Gov. [Jay] Inslee or the public doesn't embrace that, that's OK, but I can't pretend to be someone other than who I am."

"In every forum and nearly every case, children are impacted. They are impacted when their parents cannot parent due to drug and alcohol issues landing them in court, they are impacted when their needs were not met as children and they become involved in the juvenile justice system."

"It really has been only recently that I've seen the judiciary recognize that and want to take a leadership role in that area. That's absolutely something that I think is a critical part of what a supreme court does and should be doing — in terms of talking about [this problem] and acknowledging that it exists, but also being a problem solver."

"No one wants to see a child stay in foster care one minute longer than is absolutely necessary to ensure her safety."

"Every day there is something that makes me reflect that this is a historical appointment that is meaningful to other people."

"It is, however, enormously difficult to provide court and social services to these children and families when funding is minimal at best or non-existent at worst."

"There is no doubt in my mind and in my experience that the therapeutic approach benefits the individual, and therefore the community, far more."

"The assumption has been, throughout my entire career, that because I am not white that I am not fair or I am not neutral."

"“I believe my role is to listen carefully, with neutrality and fairness, and to apply the law regardless of my personal, subjective beliefs.”"

"It's part of my obligation that I do whatever possible in this position to encourage other people who are otherwise underrepresented — whether that's communities of color, first-generation college students, people from poor communities — to picture themselves in roles that have otherwise been closed to them."

"I'm not in this because I want to be in the history books as someone who was the first. That matters, and it matters to a lot of people. But what really matters to me is that I not be the last."

"I know what that intergenerational trauma looks like and what the consequences are. If I have the ability in this position to give a voice to that story, I'm going to take it."

"“I follow my oath to administer justice faithfully and impartially, in accordance with the Constitution and the laws of this country,”"

"“Reform means that we absolutely must secure the border. … We also must have a clear pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and for those who serve honorably in the military.”"

"“We absolutely must make sure that corporations are not cross price gouging. And so we know that corporations are seeing 70-year record profits and using that as a cover for inflation and jacking up prices. And Congress can stop that.”"

"Since the earliest ages every civilized community has provided for the protection of the citizen from defamation of character, and practically the same theories of redress and penalties as exist to-day were held under the very ancient laws."

"A distinction between criticism and defamation is, that criticism deals only with such things as invite public attention or call for public comment, and does not follow a man into his private life, or pry into his domestic concerns. It never attacks the individual, but only his work. A criticism of a public man, consisting of imputations upon his motives, which arise fairly and legitimately out of his conduct, is generally regarded as justifiable."

"People like the effects of inflation on income but not on living costs. And so, while talk of halting inflation is common enough, anything actually done to gain that end would prove unpopular with some group. It has become a national pastime to blame everyone else for inflation—a pastime in which the Truman administration has participated freely. We suppose that is part of the price of an era in which too many people have come to expect Government to socialize their losses and individualize their gains—if the gains fall below certain brackets."

"[...] over the course of more than 50 years, Defendants lied, misrepresented, and deceived the American public, including smokers and the young people they avidly sought as “replacement smokers,” about the devastating health effects of smoking and environmental tobacco smoke, they suppressed research, they destroyed documents, they manipulated the use of nicotine so as to increase and perpetuate addiction, they distorted the truth about low tar and light cigarettes so as to discourage smokers from quitting, and they abused the legal system in order to achieve their goal – to make money with little, if any, regard for individual illness and suffering, soaring health costs, or the integrity of the legal system."

"At least 46 people held at the Guantánamo Bay, Cuba detention camp joined a disputed number of fellow detainees already refusing food in protest of their indefinite detention last week, the Department of Defense said in a statement yesterday. [...] Thirty-two hunger strikers have been hospitalized and force-fed through nasal tubes, a prison camp spokesperson told the Boston Globe. In late October, US District Judge Gladys Kessler ordered the Defense Department to notify the lawyers of prisoners it intends to force-feed before doing so."

"It is about an industry, and in particular these Defendants, that survives, and profits, from selling a highly addictive product which causes diseases that lead to a staggering number of deaths per year, an immeasurable amount of human suffering and economic loss, and a profound burden on our national health care system. Defendants have known many of these facts for at least 50 years or more. Despite that knowledge, they have consistently, repeatedly, and with enormous skill and sophistication, denied these facts to the public, to the Government, and to the public health community. Moreover, in order to sustain the economic viability of their companies, Defendants have denied that they marketed and advertised their products to children under the age of eighteen and to young people between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one in order to ensure an adequate supply of “replacement smokers,” as older ones fall by the wayside through death, illness, or cessation of smoking. In short, Defendants have marketed and sold their lethal product with zeal, with deception, with a single-minded focus on their financial success, and without regard for the human tragedy or social costs that success exacted."

"She served as a role model and mentor to numerous young men and women throughout her distinguished career in public service."

"She never called me her stepson. She called me her son. She was always on my side, as long as I was doing the right thing."

"Over the years I’ve reflected on … all of the seeds that she has planted in me, and how she has watered them over the years and watched them grow. She has made me feel like there’s not anything that I can’t accomplish, that I can’t do, that I can’t overcome."

"The diversity of Mrs. Birckhead’s background is remarkable."

"Mrs. Birckhead always gave of her time and talents. Volunteering was her life’s work."

"In these last years, visiting with her family brought her the most pleasure."

"This was a lady who respected space and time in politics. She wasn’t about the buddy-buddy system. She was about moving forward and what’s in the best interest of the community, not the individual."

"She might disagree with a stance of someone else on council, but she was always very respectful. She never made it personal, and boy, could we use some more of that in politics today"

"I have a vested interest in what goes on here. She went on to add that the members of the council worked together to serve the entire community, even though we disagree at times."

"She was short in stature, but she was a giant among giants in the things that she stood for."

"I’m not a liberal or a conservative. I look at the issues and make decisions based on what I believe."

"Miss Fannie’ was a powerhouse in our community. Advocating and securing needed assistance for vulnerable populations and serving in many key roles to address equity and fairness issues."

"And (Birckhead) went on to even greater heights. She really reached heights no other Black woman reached."

"The fact that Fannie stayed there and overcame the adversity she had to and did what she did for the community, I find that amazing."

"Her colleagues consistently choose her for leadership positions in recognition of her common sense and hard work."

"Judge Becker’s many written decisions establish her as a fair and balanced judge, one who knows how to look at a case from all sides and resolve it with the quiet voice of legal reasoning."