"The right to life does not mean the right to live under all circumstances."
This quote suggests that while every person inherently has a right to life, this right is not absolute or unconditional. The right to life does not extend to the point where an individual's actions or behaviors create circumstances that threaten their own life or the lives of others, such as participating in dangerous activities with disregard for safety, engaging in self-destructive behavior, or causing harm to others. In essence, this quote highlights the importance of personal responsibility and the understanding that while life is a fundamental right, it's not inviolable in all situations.
"War is an instrument entirely consonant with the destiny of a republic."
This quote suggests that war, in the view of Samuel Freeman Miller, aligns with the nature or destiny of a republic. It implies that wars can be a necessary aspect for a republic (a political entity characterized by representative government and protection of individual rights) to defend its principles, protect its people, and advance its interests. However, it's important to note that this perspective doesn't diminish the humanitarian concerns associated with warfare or the importance of seeking peaceful solutions when possible.
"In the present state of our laws and institutions, it would be dangerous to submit to a judicial body the question whether the power conferred upon Congress, by the Constitution, is constitutional."
This quote highlights the principle of separation of powers, particularly the check and balance between the legislative (Congress) and judicial branches in the U.S. constitutionally-framed governments. Miller suggests that it could be risky or unwise to have a court decide if a power given to Congress by the Constitution is itself constitutional. This is because allowing courts to decide the constitutionality of their own authority or the authority granted to other branches might lead to an erosion of powers and potentially undermine the balance between these branches.
"There can be no peace, civil or religious, without tolerance."
This quote emphasizes the importance of tolerance in establishing both societal harmony (civil) and unity within religious communities. To achieve lasting peace, individuals must respect diverse beliefs, cultures, and perspectives, fostering an environment where coexistence is possible. Without tolerance, conflict and intolerance can lead to division and strife, hindering the pursuit of a peaceful society.
"When the Supreme Court sits in banc, it not only sits as the highest tribunal of the nation, but it also represents the whole body of the judiciary... It may therefore properly express its opinions upon questions of law, arising on the records before it, or growing out of the course and proceedings of the lower courts."
This quote by Samuel Freeman Miller highlights the unique role and significance of a "sitting en banc" (French for "on the bench") of the U.S. Supreme Court. In such a session, the court not only functions as the highest judicial body in the nation but also symbolizes the entire federal judiciary system. As a result, when addressing legal questions stemming from case records or lower courts' proceedings, the Supreme Court can offer official opinions that guide and influence similar cases and the overall interpretation of law within the U.S. judicial system.
A constitution, in the American sense of the word, is a written instrument by which the fundamental powers of the government are established, limited, and defined, and by which these powers are distributed among several departments, for their more safe and useful exercise, for the benefit of the body politic.
- Samuel Freeman Miller
History teaches us, in no mistaken language, how often customs and practices, which were originated without lawful warrant, and opposed to the sound construction of the law, have come to overload and pervert it, as commentators on the text of Holy Scripture have established doctrines wholly at variance with its true spirit.
- Samuel Freeman Miller
It is a very great mistake, and a very common one, even for well-read persons, to adopt the idea that the progress of the human race in the science of government, in the arts of civilization and refinement, and in the establishment of morality and religion, has been constantly and steadily towards improvement and perfection.
- Samuel Freeman Miller
The value of a decision as a precedent is very much enhanced by the care with which it has been considered, and if the opinion itself shows that other decisions of the same court, or of other courts upon the same point, have been reviewed and examined, it adds to the value of the decision made on each consideration.
- Samuel Freeman Miller
The United States being a limited form of government, one of the restrictions to which it is subject is in regard to its power to levy taxes. The States may levy them for a great many purposes for which Congress cannot, because to the States belong all of the powers not delegated to Congress.
- Samuel Freeman Miller
Naturalization is the process by which a citizen, or subject of a foreign nation or kingdom, is made a citizen of the United States. It is evident that the Constitutional Convention thought that it was important that this process should be placed under the exclusive control of the Federal Government and not of the States.
- Samuel Freeman Miller
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