Welcome to Court Quotes, a curated collection of insightful, thought-provoking, and often poignant quotes about the world of law, justice, and the judiciary system. Whether you’re a legal professional, a student of law, or simply curious about the workings of the court, these quotes offer profound perspectives that delve into the complexities and nuances of the legal realm.
Within these pages, you’ll find words from eminent jurists, celebrated lawyers, influential politicians, and individuals whose lives have been shaped by their encounters with the law. From timeless reflections on the principles of justice to witty observations on the quirks of legal proceedings, these quotes encapsulate the rich tapestry of human experience intertwined with the pursuit of truth and fairness.
Explore these quotes to gain new insights, find inspiration, or simply appreciate the eloquence with which these luminaries have captured the essence of the legal world. Whether you’re seeking motivation for your legal endeavors or simply enjoy contemplating the intricacies of justice, Court Quotes offers a diverse array of perspectives to engage and inspire.
Little white lies are part of everyday life. If you’re in court being charged with a felony, you’re probably going to be tempted to lie. Or if your girlfriend asks you if the sweater she is wearing makes her look fat; you’re going to lie because you love that person. There are different reasons and justifications to lie; it’s human nature. Monica Raymund
The court jester had the right to say the most outrageous things to the king. Everything was permitted during carnival, even the songs that the Roman legionnaires would sing, calling Julius Caesar ‘queen,’ alluding, in a very transparent way, to his real, or presumed, homosexual escapades. Umberto Eco
If you look at Griswold, what you can see is the first time the Court recognized the right to privacy, which ends up becoming ultimately the right to abortion. Jay Alan Sekulow
Five guys on the court working together can achieve more than five talented individuals who come and go as individuals. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Same-sex marriage is not the final nail in the coffin for traditional marriage. It is just another road sign toward the substitution of government for God. Every moral discussion now pits the wisest moral arbiters among us – the Supreme Court, President Obama – against traditional religion. Ben Shapiro
I bring immediate impact off the court as much as I do on the court. Trae Young
I sent one e-mail in my life. I sent it to Jeff Raikes at Microsoft, and it ended up in court in Minneapolis, so I am one for one. Warren Buffett
The Supreme Court ruled that disabled golfer Casey Martin has a legal right to ride in a golf cart between shots at PGA Tour events. Man, the next thing you know, they’re going to have some guy carry his clubs around for him. Jon Stewart
Wringing your hands about states’ rights, forget it. They’re gone. Basically, the federal government can do whatever it wants. Who’s going to protect the states? My court? Ha – we’re feds! Antonin Scalia
One of the reasons this election is so important is because the Supreme Court hangs in the balance. We need to overturn that terrible Supreme Court decision, Citizens United, and then reform our whole campaign finance system. Hillary Clinton
Men naturally despise those who court them, but respect those who do not give way to them. Thucydides
Deciding not to decide is, of course, among the most important things done by the Supreme Court. It takes a lot of doing, but it can be done. Thurgood Marshall
Whenever you put a man on the Supreme Court he ceases to be your friend. Harry S Truman
On the whole, we think of our consumers – other judges, lawyers, the public. The law that the Supreme Court establishes is the law that they must live by, so all things considered, it’s better to have it clearer than confusing. Ruth Bader Ginsburg
As president, I will only nominate judges – including Supreme Court justices – who will commit to upholding Roe v. Wade as settled law and protect women’s reproductive rights. Kirsten Gillibrand
When I was a prosecutor in Kansas City, my job was to fight for justice and safety for all citizens in my community. Equal access to justice under the law is an American value embedded in the fabric of our legal and political system – the idea that anybody, powerful or not, can have their day in court. Claire McCaskill
My job is to interpret the law based on how the legislature and the court has done it and then, of course, to use our system of justice to develop some new legal tools and new concepts. Bill Scott
I’ll have you understand I am running this court, and the law hasn’t got a damn thing to do with it! Sam Ervin
I am still not at all in favour of offering any defence. Even if the court had accepted that petition submitted by some of my co-accused regarding defence, etc., I would not have defended myself. Bhagat Singh
Everyone asks me how I stay calm on court and I think it’s because I accepted who I am after overcoming low points in my life. Coco Gauff
It’s a war of wills out there on the court. You have to have a stronger will than your opponent, and every guy on your team has to feel that same way against the guy he’s guarding. Ray Allen
At Columbia Law School, my professor of constitutional law and federal courts, Gerald Gunther, was determined to place me in a federal court clerkship, despite what was then viewed as a grave impediment: On graduation, I was the mother of a 4-year-old child. Ruth Bader Ginsburg
God has already done everything He’s going to do. The ball is now in your court. If you want success, if you want wisdom, if you want to be prosperous and healthy, you’re going to have to do more than meditate and believe; you must boldly declare words of faith and victory over yourself and your family. Joel Osteen
My first job out of law school was on the Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, where Gorsuch is a judge. I observed in the year that I worked at the court what many litigants and commentators have since noted: that Gorsuch possesses an incisive legal mind, writes with skill and wit, and is scrupulously fair. Josh Hawley
Badminton court is my territory and that’s where I will do most of my talking. Jwala Gutta
The Supreme Court has never ruled that Congress can use the Commerce Clause to require individuals to engage in an activity they have chosen to avoid. Yet that is precisely what Obamacare does: It forces Americans without health insurance to purchase coverage. Such a requirement is unprecedented and unconstitutional. John Cornyn
Noir is a court of human relations, and some crimes are beyond legal restitution. Margo Jefferson
Nicaragua dealt with the problem of terrorism in exactly the right way. It followed international law and treaty obligations. It collected evidence, brought the evidence to the highest existing tribunal, the International Court of Justice, and received a verdict – which, of course, the U.S. dismissed with contempt. Noam Chomsky
I have to tell you, I’m proudest of my life off the court. There will always be great basketball players who bounce that little round ball, but my proudest moments are affecting people’s lives, effecting change, being a role model in the community. Magic Johnson
In Europe, the court is smaller and here there is the three seconds rule. I think it’s easier to score here. Luka Doncic
The Supreme Court and courts in general have been usurping the role of the legislative branch of government. Todd Akin
To all the positions, I just bring the determination to win. Me being an unselfish player, I think that can carry on to my teammates. When you have one of the best players on the court being unselfish, I think that transfers to the other players. LeBron James
Every generation gets the Constitution that it deserves. As the central preoccupations of an era make their way into the legal system, the Supreme Court eventually weighs in, and nine lawyers in robes become oracles of our national identity. Noah Feldman
The power I exert on the court depends on the power of my arguments, not on my gender. Sandra Day O’Connor
World history is a court of judgment. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
Whatever I lack in size and strength and speed, I kind of make up for in being grittier. When it comes to something like basketball I’m definitely not the best guy on the court, but I love elbowing and pushing people out or boxing them out. Steven Yeun
I consider myself a court jester – motivator. Richard Simmons
The Constitution that I interpret and apply is not living, but dead, or as I prefer to call it, enduring. It means, today, not what current society, much less the court, thinks it ought to mean, but what it meant when it was adopted. Antonin Scalia
If you’re paid before you walk on the court, what’s the point in playing as if your life depended on it? Arthur Ashe
Balls should be good for at least six sets, and for more for the average player. But if the rallies are long, they do not last as long as this. There is a fuzz on the surface that wears off on the hard court. Helen Wills Moody
States used to protect consumers from predatory lenders, but strong state usury laws were obliterated by a 1978 U.S. Supreme Court decision. Bernie Sanders
I want to get better each and every day and attack each and every day. Whether that be a pool workout, a sand workout, an on the court workout, I’m just trying to get better in every situation. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
As I have said repeatedly, if confirmed to the court, I would be part of a team of nine, committed to deciding cases according to the constitution and laws of the United States. I would always strive to be a team player. Brett Kavanaugh
Like you might love watching basketball, but that don’t mean that you’ll get on the court. Lil Baby
The Twist was a guided missile launched from the ghetto into the heart of suburbia. The Twist succeeded, as politics, religion and law could never do, in writing in the heart and soul what the Supreme Court could only write on the books. Eldridge Cleaver
Transparency, accountability and sustainability have become the slogans of the market leaders. Companies carry out environmental and social audits to court the consumer, and even the bluest chips woo organisations such as Greenpeace and Amnesty. Noreena Hertz
With my own memoirs, they are truthful, and I write everything fully expecting to some day end up televised on Court TV, and I’m fully prepared to be challenged legally on it. Augusten Burroughs
What people see on court is another side of me; it’s not me. Kobe Bryant
One has to accept pain as a condition of existence. One has to court doubt and darkness as the cost of knowing. One needs a will stubborn in conflict, but apt always to the total acceptance of every consequence of living and dying. Morris West
In America, the Supreme Court and the American people believe no one is above the law. Jeff Sessions
I want to thank God, obviously for the health, for the talent He’s given me, for my family who supports me, for the things that basketball’s taught me on and off the court. For the people that I’ve been able to meet through the game of basketball. Stephen Curry
To take revenge halfheartedly is to court disaster; either condemn or crown your hatred. Pierre Corneille
There is – you know, there’s receipts for rented cars and license plates and guns and hand prints and palm prints and fingerprints. You know, I want to wait until I’m in a court. Patty Hearst
I think that one of the most fundamental responsibilities is to give testimony in a court of law, to give it honestly and willingly. Adlai Stevenson I
Many well-meaning intelligent people have argued since the May 17, 1954, decision of the United States Supreme Court outlawing segregation in the public schools that communication between the races has broken down. Benjamin E. Mays
I am still doing my due diligence. A vote on a Supreme Court nominee is a lifetime appointment and when the court decides, it is the law of the land. Bob Menendez
The Second Amendment does protect the right to people to possess weapons for self-defense in the home. That’s what the Supreme Court said. Laurence Tribe
On the court, I want to try and get to the free-throw line a little more. And as a point guard, you can always get better at your decision-making and limiting your mistakes. Stephen Curry
When ‘The People’s Court’ came along, I had an opportunity to really teach people about law. It was very important to me. Joseph Wapner
Perhaps you should say there should be mandatory retirement even of members of the court, members of the federal judiciary. I’m sure there can be questions about whether one does as good work when you get into your – you know, I’m 67. William Rehnquist
Please keep an open mind and let me have my day in court. Michael Jackson
A man should never wear shorts in the city. Flip-flops and shorts in the city are never appropriate. Shorts should only be worn on the tennis court or on the beach. Tom Ford
A court is an assembly of noble and distinguished beggars. Charles Maurice de Talleyrand
Don’t judge me. You wanna judge me, put on a black gown and get a gavel. Get in line with the rest of them that’s about to judge me. I got court dates every other month. It’s me against the world – that’s how I feel. Lil Wayne
Closed mouths don’t get fed, and I’m gonna eat every time I get on the court. Shabazz Muhammad
I’ve learned you can always achieve more than you thought you could. There are moments when I’ve walked off the court, and I’m like, ‘I don’t know how I won that match.’ It was actually impossible, but it happened, and then you realize that you can push yourself much further than you ever thought, and you can make the impossible happen. Venus Williams
But, I would say when I was four years old and I was at the Alan King Tennis Tournament and I was hitting with all the pros that would come to town. They would get me on the court or take notice and that stayed with me. Andre Agassi
What I wanted was for everyone listening to understand that these things mattered – not necessarily for me, but in this particular forum they mattered in terms of whether of not we were getting a person who should sit on the Supreme Court. Anita Hill
The Constitution is not a panacea for every blot upon the public welfare. Nor should this Court, ordained as a judicial body, be thought of as a general haven for reform movements. John Marshall Harlan
There is a higher court than courts of justice and that is the court of conscience. It supercedes all other courts. Mahatma Gandhi
Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it. Learned Hand
There was no hostility at the court when I arrived. Sandra Day O’Connor
The Supreme Court’s only armor is the cloak of public trust; its sole ammunition, the collective hopes of our society. Irving R. Kaufman
The facts are plain: Religious leaders who preside over marriage ceremonies must and will be guided by what they believe. If they do not wish to celebrate marriages for same-sex couples, that is their right. The Supreme Court says so. And the Charter says so. Paul Martin
I just want to get on the court. Carmelo Anthony
I’m busy working on every aspect of my game – defense, shooting, rebounding – but I really want to become a better overall team player. Help my teammates become better players out on the court in order to win more ball games. Kevin Durant
An unemployed court jester is nobody’s fool. Kevin Hart
Any successful nominee should possess both the temperament to interpret the law and the wisdom to do so fairly. The next Supreme Court Justice should have a record of protecting individual rights and a strong willingness to put aside any political agenda. Bennie Thompson
Presidents come and go, but the Supreme Court goes on forever. William Howard Taft
I am fast and very powerful on the court, so this is what matters. Novak Djokovic
The main thing is confidence. I’m gaining more and more confidence to do whatever I want to do on the basketball court, whether it is shooting threes or sprinting to the rim and finishing or ball handling. I’m confident enough because I have worked on it that I am going to do the exact same things in the game. Jimmy Butler
Every American deserves their day in court. Every American is innocent until proven guilty. These are core values enshrined in our founding document – the United States Constitution. John Garamendi
In the 2000 presidential election, Al Gore got more votes than George W. Bush, but still lost the election. The Supreme Court’s ruling in Florida gave Bush that pivotal state, and doomed Gore to lose the Electoral College. That odd scenario – where the candidate with the most votes loses – has happened three times in U.S. history. Juan Williams
The Supreme Court has ruled that they cannot have a nativity scene in Washington, D.C. This wasn’t for any religious reasons. They couldn’t find three wise men and a virgin. Jay Leno
Henry Kissinger is the greatest living war criminal in the world today, with the blood of millions of people in Vietnam and Cambodia and Laos and Chile and East Timor on his hands. He will never appear in a court or be behind bars. George Galloway
It’s a facet of the gay rights movement that people don’t think about enough. Why suddenly marriage equality? Because it wasn’t until 1981 that the court struck down Louisiana’s ‘head and master rule,’ that the husband was head and master of the house. Ruth Bader Ginsburg
My court was divided between peace and war according to their various interests, but I considered only their reasons. Louis XIV
Love rules the court, the camp, the grove, And men below, and saints above: For love is heaven, and heaven is love. Walter Scott
I have pictures of me sitting in the racquetball court in my pajamas with an acoustic guitar, and Wolfgang is probably just two-and-a-half-feet tall. I’ll never forget the day I saw his foot tapping along in beat! I knew then, I couldn’t wait for the day I’d be able to make music with my son. I don’t know what more I could ask for. Eddie Van Halen
Every night on the court I give my all, and if I’m not giving 100 percent, I criticize myself. LeBron James
Court TV. I can’t stop watching it. I am absolutely obsessed! If I’m not reading a book or spending time with my husband, my friends or my dog, I am watching Court TV. Debra Messing
As an attorney, I could be rather flamboyant in court. I did not act as though I were a black man in a white man’s court, but as if everyone else – white and black – was a guest in my court. When trying a case, I often made sweeping gestures and used high-flown language. Nelson Mandela
Maybe water polo and volleyball really help me on the court. Water polo with my one-handed passes, volleyball too, maybe when I tap passes. Nikola Jokic
I love fairy tales because of their haunting beauty and magical strangeness. They are set in worlds where anything can happen. Frogs can be kings, a thicket of brambles can hide a castle where a royal court has lain asleep for a hundred years, a boy can outwit a giant, and a girl can break a curse with nothing but her courage and steadfastness. Kate Forsyth
With each decision of ours that takes from the People a question properly left to them – with each decision that is unabashedly based not on law, but on the ‘reasoned judgment’ of a bare majority of this Court – we move one step closer to being reminded of our impotence. Antonin Scalia
Most people compliment me on maintaining my femininity while I’m on the court. People like the fact that I model. My fans or little girls always say they want to play sports, but also want to be a model like me and I think that’s great. Lisa Leslie
In the spring of 1936, I was introduced by friends to Jean Tatlock. In the autumn, I began to court her. We were at least twice close enough to marriage to think of ourselves as engaged. J. Robert Oppenheimer
It was better for me when I was joined at the court by a second woman. When I was there alone, there was too much media focus on the one woman, and the minute we got another woman, that changed. Sandra Day O’Connor
The 3-point line has changed the game so much. The day of the big man, unless you’re extraordinary good, is not numbered, but certainly you gotta be a lot more versatile to play the game today. You gotta be able to really run up and down the court. Jerry West
The rule of law means that law and justice are upheld by an independent judiciary. The judgments of the European Court of Justice have to be respected by all. To undermine them, or to undermine the independence of national courts, is to strip citizens of their fundamental rights. The rule of law is not optional in the European Union. It is a must. Jean-Claude Juncker
