John Marshall Harlan II Quote

These decisions give support to a current mistaken view of the Constitution and the constitutional function of this court. This view, in short, is that every major social ill in this country can find its cure in some constitutional principle and that this court should take the lead in promoting reform when other branches of government fail to act. 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 of reform movements.


Dissenting in Reynolds v. Sims, 377 U.S. 533, 589 (1964).


These decisions give support to a current mistaken view of the Constitution and the constitutional function of this court. This view, in short, is...

These decisions give support to a current mistaken view of the Constitution and the constitutional function of this court. This view, in short, is...

These decisions give support to a current mistaken view of the Constitution and the constitutional function of this court. This view, in short, is...

These decisions give support to a current mistaken view of the Constitution and the constitutional function of this court. This view, in short, is...