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Justice John Paul Stevens (b. 1920) US Supreme Court Justice (1975- )


As a matter of constitutional tradition, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we presume that governmental regulation of the content of speech is more likely to interfere with the free exchange of ideas than to encourage it. The interest in encouraging freedom of expression in a democratic society outweighs any theoretical but unproven benefit of censorship.

Janet Reno et al. v. ACLU et al., Majority Opinion (1997)

Just as the right to speak and the right to refrain from speaking are complementary components of a broader concept of individual freedom of mind, so also the individual’s freedom to choose his own creed is the counterpart of his right to refrain from accepting the creed established by the majority.

¶ Majority opinion, Wallace v. Jaffree, 472 U.S. 38 (1985)

Full ruling.

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