Stephen Breyer

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

We can speak about the institution, but ultimately the bar is the group that both is in touch with the public on the one hand and understands the judicial institution on the other.

Ultimately, the question of campaign contributions will be decided by the public.

At least there's a political input, but when you put on the robe, at that point the politics is over.

Independence means you decide according to the law and the facts.

Independence doesn't mean you decide the way you want.

And the problem is once you get into this campaign business and begin to have a lot of money, then the person on the bench begins to think - what's going to happen if I decide the case this way or that way?

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.

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

You will read in the newspaper more often about federal courts, but the law that affects people, the trials that affect human beings are by and large in the state courts.

I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose interests in good government is less.

Nobody wants a judge to be subject to the political whim of the moment.