Great legal quotes of the week: January 26, 2024

“Lawsuits can prompt institutional learning when they carry real consequences for defendant agencies.”

— The Cato Institute in a January 19 amicus brief in Benning v. Oliver

“Modern connected humankind is trying to determine its position backwards.”

— Playwright David Mamet in a January 23 amicus brief in NetChoice v. Paxton

“It does not violate the First Amendment for Oregon to have a position. But it does violate the First Amendment for Oregon to deny a government license to a private citizen solely because she disagrees with the State’s position and refuses to affirmatively say otherwise.”

— FIRE in a January 19 amicus brief in Bates v. Pakseresht 

“This was not the hot pursuit of a presumed criminal; it was the premeditated pursuit of a confirmed critic.”

— Judge Don Willett in a January 23 dissent in Villarreal v. City of Laredo