Patrick Leahy Quotes

I was an attorney general. That was - that matters to me, and if you won't obey your own rules, there's no reason to think you'll obey any others.

The Attorney General is not above the law.

As attorney general I see my role as defender both of press freedom and of the fair administration of justice.

I well understand that the role of Attorney General is to enforce the law as it is, not as I would have it.

The Attorney General's ultimate client must be the people of the United States

Can I suggest that the sheriff and the district attorney, in the lunch break, go out and read the Constitution.

The Attorney General of the United States is, of course, not the president's lawyer. The AG is supposed to be the attorney for the United States, protecting the rule of law.

My job is to enforce the law, without fear or favor.

I see the job of attorney general as the single most important legal office in the country when you can't trust the federal government.

No one is above the law, not even the President.

As attorney general, I don't get to pick and choose the laws I like and don't like.

We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey, And let it keep one shape till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.

My attorney general will restore the integrity of the Department of Justice which has been severely questioned.

The problem is not that the Supreme Court is just conservative, the problem is that it is corrupt.

All I want to do is be the best attorney general that I can be.

Finally, a good prosecutor knows that her job is to enforce the law without fear or favor. Likewise, a Supreme Court Justice must interpret the laws without fear or favor.

You cannot strengthen the law by violating the law.

I think the Justice Department needs to be the final protector of the people of the United States of America.

Mexico is now a country where we have justice and a rule of law that didn't exist here in past years.

At a time when our moral standing in the world has been weakened by a rubber stamp Justice Department that placed the Bush Administration above the law, we now need someone who is objective and independent. And, make no mistake, Eric Holder is independent.

As long as we can get redress in the courts, as long as the laws shall be honestly administered, as long as honesty and intelligence sit upon the bench, as long as intelligence sits in the chairs of jurors, this country will stand, the law will be enforced, and the law will be respected.

The state of law is equal for all people. It cannot depend on electoral politics.

Why do we have U.S. attorneys? Because we need a mechanism to make sure people obey the laws that we pass, for societal reasons.

Rule of law is the most important element in any civil society.

The reason I like the criminal justice system is there aren't Republican or Democrat victims or police officers or prosecutors. It's about respect for the rule of law!