Date: November 7, 1930
Location: Northampton, MA
(Original document available here)
A few judges in different localities have recently come under suspicion.
The first requisite of every unit of government is to furnish order and security. That means, in time of peace, protection from crimes against the person and property. The next requirement is the enforcement of legal obligations. To furnish a process for redress when these rights have been invaded, courts have been established. It is their duty to punish crime and decide causes between individuals. If the courts break down, the citizen has little remedy for public or private grievances.
Because of these indispensable public duties, it is necessary for the courts to be kept impartial, detached and pure. Any failure in this respect is a blow at the very vitals of our government. The fundamentals of security and justice would both be gone. The result would be virtually unchecked crime and anarchy.
The general character of our bench is very high. It must be kept so. Any charges formally and seriously made of improper conduct by judges must be thoroughly investigated and all guilt actively prosecuted, that our courts be purged of every suspicion. A corrupt judge is one of the worst enemies of the Republic.
Citation: Calvin Coolidge Says: Dispatches Written by Former-President Coolidge and Syndicated to Newspapers in 1930-1931 (Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation)
The Coolidge Foundation gratefully acknowledges the volunteer efforts of Craig Eyermann who prepared this document for digital publication.