I believe that the death penalty is an effective penalty.
— Loretta Lynch
This country was founded on a promise of equal rights for all, and we have always managed to move closer to that promise, little by little, one day at a time. It may not be easy - but we'll get there together.
Often, we do not know where our choices will take us. This is why the best choices are often made based not on what they can bring to us, but what they will allow us to bring to others.
The motto of the Netherlands is translated into English as 'I will uphold.' But I want you to know that, as we go forward, our message together is not just 'I will uphold,' but 'we will uphold.'
Violent ideologies can proliferate and spread; threats are no longer contained by borders and oceans; and adversaries are as likely to be found in cyberspace as on the battlefield.
When I speak to a victim or their family, people who were left bruised and battered by someone, and can give them some small relief, I know I'm winning in some small way, and I'm part of a process that sometimes works.
It's always interesting when people don't know who you are.
Certainly, by providing individuals coming out of institutions with ways to become productive citizens, we reduce recidivism. What that means is we reduce crime. There are fewer victims when individuals have options - when they have job skills, when they have life skills, we break the cycle of children following their parents into institutions.
When suspicion and hostility is allowed to fester, it can erupt into unrest.
The answer is never violence. Rather, the answer, our answer, all our answer must be action. Calm, peaceful, collaborative and determined action.
Let us reflect on the obvious but often neglected lesson that state-sanctioned discrimination never looks good in hindsight.
If we're going to have the view that we're going to protect everyone in this society equally, we have to mean it.
What I have realized is I cannot guarantee the absence of discrimination or hatred or prejudice, but I can guarantee the presence of justice.
My view is that we cannot be ruled by fear. When we do that, we are not making ourselves see. We are not thinking things through. We are not looking at what works.
We have determined as a society, as a country, as a people, that the incarceration and the supervision and the specific fines for a particular crime are that person's debt to society.
Others will always seek to define you based on what they think you represent or who they think you are. But you have to be the one to control what you do and what you say and how you present yourself.
It's a great thing to live in a digital age. It's convenient; it's fast.
The American people must be able to trust that their courts and law enforcement will uphold, protect, and defend their constitutional rights.
The world needs champions. Too many people still find the path to opportunity closed to them. Too many still find unnecessary obstacles to education, to housing, to the full and free exercise of the right to vote.
What matters is that there is somewhere for those who are troubled, threatened or afraid to turn to in their darkest hour. What matters is that there are those who are willing and able to use the law as an instrument of inclusion, of protection, and of freedom.
In a world that is more interconnected and interdependent than ever before, it is critical that we work together to uphold the norms and statutes that keep our citizens safe, our countries secure, and our economies fair.
The good in this world far outweighs the evil. Our common humanity transcends our differences, and our most effective response to terror is compassion, it's unity, and it's love.
I find that people want aggressive policing if they as a community feel they are part of it. They don't want aggressive policing if they feel it's being imposed upon them and they are a target.
We don't talk about the timing of open matters, but I certainly agree with the FBI director that in every investigation, no matter whom it involves, we are thorough, we are fair, we are efficient, and we move through the facts and the evidence and come to the conclusions that are called upon.
We don't always choose moments. You know, sometimes they choose us.
Every American expects and deserves the protection of law enforcement that is effective, responsive, respectful and, most importantly, constitutional.
We must continue working to build trust between communities and law enforcement. We must continue working to guarantee every person in this country equal justice under the law. And we must take a hard look at the ease with which wrongdoers can get their hands on deadly weapons and the frequency with which they use them.
Instead of turning away from our neighbors, our friends, our colleagues, let us instead learn from our history and avoid repeating the mistakes of our past.
Almost one in three Americans has had some contact with the criminal justice system. When you reach that saturation point, people begin to understand, in a very visceral way, the difficulties of reentry.
Whether it is tribalism, racism, xenophobia, or anti-Muslim backlash we're talking about, we spend so much time and energy fighting ways to divide ourselves from others.
We must reflect on the kind of country that we want to build and the kind of society which we are choosing to pass on to our children.
I think it's important, however, that as we again talk about the importance of free speech we make it clear that actions predicated on violent talk are not America they are not who were they are not what we do and they will be prosecuted, so I want that message to be clear also.
It's the choices that you make and the things that you're willing to accept and not accept that define who you are.
You would notice if your own personal debit card limit shot up to $40 million dollars. And you'd probably call somebody.
What I have seen in my travels across this country is the dedication, the commitment, and the resolve of our brave men and women in law enforcement to improving policing, to embracing the 21st Century Task Force recommendations, and to continuing to have a dialogue that makes our country safer for all.
Let me say that if the political arena is your choice as you work to keep our democracy strong and our essential freedoms accessible for all, then that is what you should do, and I salute you. We need champions in all walks of our civic discourse.
No matter who we are or where we live, we all share a basic concern for the safety and well-being of our young people. Their welfare is the most telling measure of our nation's success - and their potential is the most promising element of its future. It is up to us - all of us - to safeguard that future.
Particularly over the last few decades, technological innovation has offered opportunities to bring people and nations together - but it has also created significant new challenges to law enforcement.
After all we have been through, blacks and other minorities deserve to be protected, as anyone else.
They expect a certain amount of leniency or mercy from me because I'm a woman, and if you've ever met my mother, you should know that's not even in the cards. She's much tougher than I am - she's a retired schoolteacher, so she's seen it all.
Voting is how we participate in a civic society - be it for president, be it for a municipal election. It's the way we teach our children - in school elections - how to be citizens, and the importance of their voice.
Building trust between law enforcement officers and the communities we serve is one of my highest priorities as attorney general.
We must reject the easy impulses of bitterness and rancor and embrace the difficult work, but the important work, the vital work of finding a path forward together.
Let us not act out of fear and misunderstanding, but out of the values of inclusion, diversity, and regard for all that make our country great.
What we must not do - what we must never do - is turn on our neighbors, our family members, our fellow Americans, for something they cannot control, and deny what makes them human.
I think that overall, the position - on a whole host of issues - should always be toward inclusion and equality.
Houses of worship can be the heart of a community. They can be the cradle of a family. They can be places where our children go to learn, not just faith, but to make friends. They build connections. They are essential to a healthy America. And every community deserves the right to have those houses of worship operate in safety and peace.
What is the price of justice? What is the price of justice? When bail is set unreasonably high, people are behind bars only because they are poor. Not because they're a danger or a flight risk - only because they are poor. They don't have money to get out of jail and they certainly don't have money to flee anywhere.
Everyone wants to be seen. Everyone wants to be heard. Everyone wants to be recognized as the person that they are and not a stereotype or an image.
I truly love coming to work every day.
