John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens

When I joined the Supreme Court in 1975, both state and federal judges accepted the Court's unanimous decision in United States v. Miller as having established that the Second Amendment's protection of the right to bear arms was possessed only by members of the militia and applied only to weapons used by the militia.

John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens

During my years as a practicing lawyer, it just was part of your study of what Congress was trying to say in their statutes. I never really considered judges or scholars as either those who used legislative history or those who were opposed to it until after I got on the court.

John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens

District of Columbia v. Heller, which recognized an individual right to possess a firearm under the Constitution, is unquestionably the most clearly incorrect decision that the Supreme Court announced during my tenure on the bench.

John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens

For over 200 years after the adoption of the Second Amendment, it was uniformly understood as not placing any limit on either federal or state authority to enact gun control legislation.

John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens

The government must pursue a course of complete neutrality toward religion.

John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens

Although NFL teams have common interests such as promoting the NFL brand, they are still separate, profit-making entities, and their interests in licensing team trademarks are not necessarily aligned.

John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens

Sam Alito replacing Justice O'Connor was a very significant change. He is much more conservative. And, as for John Roberts, he is much more in the direction of protecting the rights of very rich people to donate money to campaigns than Bill Rehnquist ever was.

John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens

Colonial history contains many examples of firearm regulations in urban areas that imposed obstacles to their use for protection of the home.

John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens

I think maybe the people in elected positions are more interested in preserving their jobs than in doing the best job possible.

John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens

To show a 'well-founded fear of persecution', an alien need not prove that it is more likely than not that he or she will be persecuted in his or her home country.

John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens

I have been opposed to ceremonies at the White House. It gives the impression that the court is subordinate to the executive, which I think is quite wrong.

John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens

Of course, when I joined the Navy and when I took up the correspondence course in cryptography, I had to sign an oath that I would never reveal what sort of work I was involved in. It was only some years after the war that Congress passed a statute relieving me of that obligation.

John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens

The practice of executing such offenders is a relic of the past and is inconsistent with evolving standards of decency in a civilized society.

John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens

If you're interested in the job and in the kind of work that's done, you have to have an interest in who's going to fill your shoes.

John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens

It almost seems I was writing two separate books, the first one about the time before I went on the court and the second one about the many, many terms I was on the court.

John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens

Public officials, including state legislators, have a duty to act impartially.

John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens

I play duplicate bridge and I play golf and I go swimming once in a while.

John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens

I am not a fan of President Trump, I should say. I wouldn't try to comment on every particular issue in which we disagree, but there are plenty of them.

John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens

To make a coverage decision, doesn't one have to make a medical judgment?

John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens

I had been born a Republican. My dad was an active Republican, but he was not active in politics and I really never was either. It's true that I did belong to that party, but it really had very little impact on my public work or my private views.