當我們不再有能力約束當權者手中權力的時候

在1972年的「布萊茲伯格訴海斯案」中
In 1972 in Branzburg v. Hayes,

正是本法庭 違背了
確保記者在大陪審團前拒絕透露其情報人姓名的權利
this court ruled against the right of reporters to withhold the names of their sources before a grand jury,

而是賦予政府權力
監禁了所有這些不肯透露資訊來源的記者
and it gave the power to the government to imprison those reporters who did.

裁決結果是以5:4的接近票數得出的
It was a five-four decision. Close.

「布萊茲伯格案」中的斯圖爾特法官曾說過：
In his dissent in Branzburg, Justice Stewart said,

「隨著時光流逝 政府手中的權力滲透到各個角落」
"As the years pass,the power of government becomes more and more pervasive."

「這些當權者 無論何黨何派」
"Those in power," he said, "whatever their politics,"

「都只想著讓自己永垂不朽」
"want only to perpetuate it"

「而人民才是最終的受害者」
"and the people are the victims."

多年以後 這樣的權力被愈加濫用
Well, the years have passed, and that power is pervasive.

阿姆斯特朗女士
Ms. Armstrong could have

本可在與政府的鬥爭中妥協
buckled to the demands of the government.

本可放棄她保守秘密的原則
She could have abandoned her promise of confidentiality.

本可簡簡單單地回去同家人團聚
She could have simply gone home to her family.

但如果這麼做了
But to do so

那就意味著 再不會有人 向她提供任何情報
would mean that no source would ever speak to her again,

再不會有人 向她的報社提供任何情報
and no source would ever speak to her newspaper again,

然後明天
and then tomorrow

當我們逮捕了其他的報社記者
when we lock up journalists from other newspapers,

我們讓這些報社失去所有的資訊來源
we'll make those publications irrelevant as well,

等同於我們在無視第一修正案的存在
and thus we'll make the First Amendment irrelevant.

那我們又如何才能知曉 一名總統是否有掩蓋罪責？
And then how will we know if a president has covered up crimes?

一名軍官是否有虐待囚徒？
Or if an army officer has condoned torture?

作為一個國家
We, as a nation,

當我們不再有能力約束當權者手中權力的時候
will no longer be able to hold those in power accountable to those whom they have power over.

當政府不再懼怕任何責任的時候
And what then is the nature of government

它將成為何種性質的國家？
when it has no fear of accountability?

這值得我們認真思考
We should shudder at the thought.

監禁記者？那針對的是別的國家
Imprisoning journalists? That's for other countries.

是那些懼怕她人民的國家
That's for countries who fear their citizens,

而不是想要珍惜和保護她人民的國家
not countries that cherish and protect them.

就在不久前
Some time ago,

我開始感受到來自瑞秋·阿姆斯特朗案中的人性壓力
I began to feel the personal human pressure on Rachel Armstrong,

我曾告訴她 我只代表她個人
and I told her that I was there to represent her

而不是她的原則
and not a principle.

直到我再次見到她
And it was not until I met her

我才意識到：對真正偉大的人而言
that I realized that with great people,

個人與原則之間 根本沒有區別
there's no difference between principle and the person.