Stephen Breyer Calls for Compromise at Harvard School of Public Health Event

Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer discussed the importance of listening to opposing views and reaching consensus at the Harvard School of Public Health this past Friday.

HSPH Dean Andrea Baccarelli moderated the discussion and highlighted Breyer’s involvement in public health during his time serving the nation’s highest court, including hearing cases on “the Affordable Care Act, voting rights, abortion, and the environment.”

During the event, Breyer emphasized the importance of listening to and working with opposing viewpoints. Central to the role of being a Supreme Court Justice, he said, is setting aside politics and focus on the rule of law that is laid out in the plain text of the U.S. Constitution.

“I hope you will not go and hide in the bed anytime you lose, but you will rather seek out people who don’t agree with you and see what you can work out with them,” he said. “There’s no question about the need to continue to work on with people who approve you and people who do not.”

In an interview with The Crimson after the event, Breyer emphasized the need for compromise and civic engagement for the sake of the public good.

“If you do not participate in public affairs — and that includes talking to people you don’t agree with — if you don’t do that, this document called the Constitution won’t work, and it will be harder, not easier, for 330 million people to live together, prosperously, productively, peacefully,” he said.

Still, Breyer expressed optimism about American’s ability to come together.

“In Cambridge, Mass., I saw groups of people, some of whom I knew, go around to old people’s houses and say, ‘Are you okay? You need any food?’ he said. “I’ve seen people do the same thing, or heard and do the same thing in San Francisco, San Diego, you name it, St. Louis, I don’t care — Americans are not so bad at getting together,” he said.

Cora C. Cunningham, a master’s student at HSPH, praised the event for addressing public health, an important current political issue.

“We see the implications of political decisions across so many different levels,” she said. “I think Justice Breyer said something so impactful about really finding those people who disagree with you and really seeking to find common ground.”

Zoe Wu, a master’s student at HSPH, said she enjoyed hearing Breyer speak, particularly in the aftermath of the 2024 presidential election.

“It was really cool to listen to his perspectives, especially him emphasizing you really have to listen to both sides,” she said.

During the conversation, Breyer said the U.S. has always been “made up of every person under the sun, and they do have every point of view under the sun.”

“And through some miracle, we’ve managed to stick it out,” he added.