Legislative Precedent Quotes

I have wondered at times what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the US Congress.

I thought it was a joke at first, but the president did, in fact, authorize an autopen to sign the Patriot Act extension into law. Consider the dangerous precedent this sets. Any number of circumstances could arise in the future where the public could question whether or not the president authorized the use of an autopen.

I will not introduce legislation to reopen divisive issues or to reopen issues that have already been settled by previous governments.

I'm the only person that has ever run a principle-based legislative body.

Because the bill in reserving a certain parcel of land of the United States for the use of said Baptist Church comprises a principle and precedent for the appropriation of funds of the United States for the use and support of religious societies, contrary to the article of the Constitution which declares the 'Congress shall make no law respecting a religious establishment’

When presidents decide to litigate an issue to protect their policy decisions, they are more likely to act judiciously, and with an eye toward compromise, because they can see the larger implications for the legacy of their office.

The traditions and courtesies of the Senators and Representatives stand in the way of the Executive, however, as defined by the Constitution, and no man who is trained in the congressional school fails to suffer by them in a way that men of merely executive experience know nothing of.

As federal lawmakers, we have a responsibility to set a precedent for energy efficient practices.

Don’t bother interpreting the statute for us: we know it better than you do, for we made it.

The first and governing maxim in the interpretation of a statute is to discover the meaning of those who made it.