Justice Potter Stewart Quote - Liberty Quotes Blog

"The right to enjoy property without unlawful deprivation,
no less that the right to speak out or the right to travel
is, in truth, a “personal” right."

by:	Justice Potter Stewart (1915-1985) Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Source:	Lynch v. Household Finance Corporation, 1972
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Categories:	Constitution, Individual Rights, Justice, Law, Liberty, Press, Property, Speech, Truth, Travel
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Reader comments about this quote:

-- Logan, Memphis, TN
They once were anyway. -- Mike, Mount Holly, NC
The quote does not stand alone well, for if your right to enjoy your property ends up intruding upon the society's rights to enjoy their property, then there is a greater good and need to guard the public's rights over the individuals... thus, as an example, you should not be allowed to ride your snowmobil or waterjet when it polutes the environment... -- Anonymous, Reston, VA US 2
Come 2008, the Real ID act will begin tracking your every move, slowly restricting your travel. Companies currently track your every purchase using UPC and credit cards. What if the government demands to see a list of what you bought? A Big Mac? You are over your daily fat intake. Condoms? You are a pervert. Very "1984" and "Big Brother". -- Joe, Rochester, MI
The principle is absolutely true as it defines liberty. The application of the principle(s) was once a mainstay but, the loss there of is rapidly escalating. The licensing of a car is de jure unlawful but de facto legal, the same as individuals. No where in the US can an individual drive his car from his home to the store without the permission of the state (the right to travel has been infringed). A from Reston, oops. There is no societal right that the individual does not uniquely hold as sovereign and provide. Pollution injures the individual. I've tried to get society in to court for examination, exploring my right to travel, I haven't been able to find Mr./Ms Society. -- Mike, Norwalk
WIthout respect for private property, the most powerful will eventually lay claim to it all. -- E Archer, NYC 1
Amen. -- Me Again 1
So, I suppose this means I don't have a "right" to a home because this would deprive someone else of some part of their means to buy their own home? And of course the "right" to "free" healthcare would mean someone else would have their savings taxed from them to pay for it. It is no wonder we have to work nearly half the year to pay our taxes with all of these supposed "rights" around. -- Ken, Allyn, WA
in regards to the comments of Anonymous from Reston, VA US "Actually there is no such 'greater good" in America only equal rights, and true the public has a right for pollution not to interrupt their lives but such pollution must be documented and found to directly impact specific persons and the government can not step in without the complaints of equally sovereign property owners that are directly effected where the harm is shown. the earths climate is primarily moved by solar activity, the sun at this time is heating up all the planets at the same rate per GHG as on earth, volcanoes and diatoms produce more Green House Gases than all people throughout all of history within a single years activity, the moon also effects our climate but more importantly photothermal effect "certain colors get hotter" effects us more than pollution. if both materials used for our roads and roofs more closely matched the vegetation of a forest the climate would remain the same in that locality, except if nearby localitys are not congruent the watershed from them may be all deposited in one spot, one mans loss in another mans gain. and to be entirely truthful here, who are we more afraid of a terrible cold ice age or a hot baking tropical sun kiss. watch the great global warming swindle and see the other side not just the straw man Al Gore built up for you to take down conveniently. Rule number 1 Trust no one Rule number 2 when you are given two sides to an argument ask yourself what is the third possibility - megalomaniacs like to control people through their own ignorance by making the problem providing both solutions and leaving the public with no choice but their own. -also look into infowars.com and read the constitution before you regurgitate what you just heard somewhere -- Andrew, Hilo, Hawai'i
The "A" from Reston finds me shaking my lowered head in disbelief. "A", please enlighten the here readers as to your referenced inorganic phantasm's (society) rights as may be averse or superior to individual rights. As written below, I've attempted to physically and legally identify your phantasm (society), Maybe you can enlighten us by what legal nexus do three individuals gain rights while the single person proportionally losses rights (what is that natural law scale or measuring device?). -- Mike, Norwalk
-- Mary, MI

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