Top 60 William Barr Quotes

With the growing availability of commoditized encryption, it is becoming easier for common criminals to communicate beyond the reach of traditional surveillance.

In my view, the government has ample justification to inquire about citizenship status on the census and could plainly provide rationales for doing so that would satisfy the Supreme Court.

To all my colleagues at the Department of Justice, let me say that it is a privilege to serve with you. I will do all I can to support your work in advancing the cause of justice.

I learned firsthand just how valuable it is to have law enforcement allies around the world.

There is no more important institution in our country than the Department of Justice.

This whole idea that the Trump was in cahoots with the Russians is bogus.

If you destroy the presidency and make it an errand boy for Congress, we’re going to be a much weaker and more divided nation.

In so many areas, it is critical to our Nation’s future that we restore and preserve in their full vigor our Founding principles. Not the least of these is the Framers’ vision of a strong, independent Executive, chosen by the country as a whole.

Only an approach combining tough law enforcement with physical, moral and educational revitalization of high-crime areas offers the prospect of a safer America.

When a federal court issues an order against enforcement of a government policy, the ruling traditionally applies only to the plaintiff in that case.

Slavery was our nation’s original sin.

By definition, a Special Counsel is charged with investigating particular potential crimes, not all potential crimes wherever they may be found.

The consensus for a strong, independent Executive arose from the Framers’ experience in the Revolution and under the Articles of Confederation. They had seen that the War had almost been lost and was a bumbling enterprise because of the lack of strong Executive leadership.

Law enforcement officers do heroic work every day in this country. And at the Department of Justice, we honor every single officer who wears the badge.

Cases like Power Traders Press are just as important as cases like Mobile TeleSystems. In my view, our best cases are those that yield tangible results for everyday people.

The role of the federal prosecutor and the purpose of a criminal investigation are well-defined.

Freedom of religion requires not only freeing religion from undue government regulation and interference. It also requires freeing religion from discrimination and from vile acts of hatred and persecution.

We know that the American people are only safe because our law enforcement officers face danger. We can only rest easy because they never rest. And we can only dwell in peace because they stand between us and the danger.

We are a pluralistic Nation composed of very distinct groups, each bound together by ethnicity, race, or religion – each group proud of its identity and committed to its faith and traditions. Yet despite these differences, we can be bound together into a broader community.

The central genius of the American Constitution lies in its use of structure to protect individual liberty. It does not rely solely, or even primarily, on grants of substantive rights.

From my perspective the idea of resisting a democratically elected president and basically throwing everything at him and, you know, really changing the norms on the grounds that we have to stop this president, that is where the shredding of our norms and our institutions is occurring.

How can it be that the homosexual movement, at one or two percent of the population, gets treated with such solicitude while the Catholic population, which is over a quarter of the country, is given the back of the hand?

The core civil liberty that underpins our American criminal justice system is the presumption of innocence. Every person enjoys this presumption long before the commencement of any investigation or official proceeding.

Over time, I think, and with further appointments to the Supreme Court, I think that the Roe v. Wade opinion will fall.

Every Medal of Valor recipient has confronted life-threatening danger. Each had their fight-or-flight moment. But each one stood their ground for our safety. We hold them up as examples to other first responders – and to all Americans.

Serving as a police officer is the toughest job in our country. As they put themselves on the line to keep us safe, they deserve our gratitude and support.

Our founding fathers recognized that morality was the foundation of a successful republic.

An attorney general’s duty is to render her opinion and honest advice; she cannot set herself up as a judge overruling the president’s decision. The president need not ‘convince’ his subordinate that his decision reflects the best view of the law.

When a nationwide injunction constrains a significant executive policy, the Justice Department has little choice but to seek emergency relief.

While the FBI carries out investigative work, the responsibility for supervising, directing and ultimately determining the resolution of investigations is solely the province of the Justice Department’s prosecutors.

Like a physical body, a body politic must have an immune system that resists anti-Semitism and other forums of hatred.

In a pluralistic society like ours, I think the ability to resist hate comes from cultivating a civil society that, on the one hand, nurtures the freedom of each group to pursue their faith and distinctive way of life, while, at the same time, fostering the ties that bind us together into a genuine broader community.

All first responders do noble work, and all of them deserve our respect and our appreciation.

Presidential powers are not exercised by a body or group. The Constitution vests ‘all executive power’ in one and only one person – the president.

When I first served as Attorney General back in the early 90s, crime was at its highest in American history, with its peak in 1992.

We humans have a powerful instinct to flee from peril. It takes a special kind of courage, a deep sense of duty, and extraordinary character to overcome these impulses and – for the sake of others – to run toward the danger.

A Supreme Court justice must convince at least four colleagues to bind the federal government nationwide, whereas a district court judge issuing a nationwide injunction needn’t convince anyone.

Established in 2001, the Medal of Valor is our nation’s highest public safety award. Officers across the nation are nominated by their peers, but only a handful are selected to receive this honor. Traditionally, this process occurs only once a year.

Proponents of nationwide injunctions argue that they are necessary to ensure that the law is uniform throughout the country. But the federal judiciary wasn’t made to produce instant legal uniformity.

As individuals and as a nation we have become dependent on a vast digital infrastructure. That, in turn, has made us vulnerable to cybercriminals and foreign adversaries that target that infrastructure.

We want to have markets that are self-policing through competition. The Internet community doesn’t want the government coming in and regulating it.

It is imperative that state and local jurisdictions not scrimp on investing in law enforcement.

We believe that when technology providers deploy encryption in their products, services, and platforms they need to maintain an appropriate mechanism for lawful access.

I believe deeply that the first duty of government is providing for the personal security of its citizens. Therefore I would naturally place the highest priority on strengthening law enforcement.

In the Justice Department, responsibility for overseeing and directing investigations is lodged in the department’s prosecutors.

Since 1992 we have made dramatic progress in reducing violent crime.

Having served as both attorney general and deputy attorney general in the Justice Department, I had responsibility for supervising the FBI, working on virtually a daily basis with its senior leadership.

Police officers must act quickly to seize wrongdoers and obtain evidence while protecting themselves and bystanders. It is easy to second-guess their search-and-seizure decisions in a secure courtroom.

Even in a healthy society, violence, lawlessness, and predation lie just below the surface.

Admission to the National Academy is highly competitive and selective.

As we look back over the sweep of American history, it has been the American Presidency that has best fulfilled the vision of the Founders. It has brought to our Republic a dynamism and effectiveness that other democracies have lacked.

Like everybody else, criminals of all stripes increasingly rely on wireless communications, hand-held devices, and the Internet.

I have long believed that the first duty of government is to protect the safety of our citizens.

Our greatest strength in our fight for justice is our people – the thousands of men and women who have dedicated their careers, often at great personal sacrifice, to working for justice in America.

The Medal of Valor is this nation’s highest and most prestigious award for public safety officers.

My top priority as Attorney General is to continue the fight against violent crime, and step it up wherever needed.