Charles T. Canady

“I really can't imagine how anyone could, in good conscience, oppose the proposition that the states should be able to deny the status of marriage to same-sex unions.”

“The president, it seems to me, stands out as the one person in our system who is in a unique position where the checks on any lack of integrity there are more important than for anyone else in the system of government.”

“Families are not merely constructs of outdated convention, and traditional marriage laws were not based on animosity toward homosexuals. Rather, I believe that the traditional family structure - centered on a lawful union between one man and one woman - comports with nature and with our Judeo-Christian moral tradition.”

“My job is to follow the law, not to make up the law that has been promulgated by the people or the people's representatives.”

“I certainly would not vote against a particular judge already in office because of a decision in a case. You may not agree with a judge's decision, but the judge must act within the law.”

“The law seemed to be always what I came back to. I have never, one day in my life as a lawyer, regretted my decision to become a lawyer.”

“My approach to deciding cases is I look at the law, I look at the facts, and I do my best to apply the law to the facts and make a decision based on the law and the facts.”

“Some of my colleagues I have the most differences with in decisions are ones with whom I have a very friendly relationship. You have to be able to step back and look at the issues and your colleagues.”

“I will never forget that it is the people who speak directly through the constitution they have adopted.”

“For those of you who pray, I ask that you pray that I will always judge with wisdom and integrity as a faithful servant of the law.”

“It does violence to the English language to assert that a president who has violated a duty entrusted to him by the Constitution is not guilty of official misconduct.”

“I have had to make a decision I may not agree with, but I am required to follow the letter of the law. It is not my job to think what is best... My responsibility is to decide what the law says and to decide to the law.”

“I love being a judge, and I anticipate being a judge for the rest of my life.”

“The Supreme Court has in place a legal structure which protects abortion rights in this country, and something has got to be done to change that before we can put in place truly meaningful protection for the unborn.”

“The construction of a courthouse is a long-term investment in a building where important public business is done. But that does not justify extravagant expenditures. Courthouses should be dignified, durable, and functional. They should not be grandiose, monumental, and luxurious.”

“Impeachment must not be a raw exercise of political power in which the House impeaches whoever it wishes for any reason it deems sufficient. Indeed, it is the solemn duty of all of the members of the House in any impeachment case to exercise their judgment faithfully within the confines established by our Constitution.”

“Americans deserve to have their religious beliefs and practices protected. Religious freedom is too important to be trampled by insensitive bureaucracy or bad policy.”