Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government had the power to issue commands to the several sovereign states, but it had no authority to govern individuals directly.

The people are the government, administering it by their agents; they are the government, the sovereign power.

Over the course of 19 years on the Supreme Court, I learned some lessons about the Constitution of the United States.

Murder has foreseeable consequences. When it happens, it is always to distinct individuals, and after it happens, other victims are left behind.

The constitution gives me explicit and definite authority to remove a government from power, but I don't want to use this authority. But everyone should know that by law I have this power in my hands.

We don't have a real government, and we don't have a real authority to apply law. In the power vacuum, people retreat to their religions.