"To declare that in the administration of criminal law the end justifies the means to declare that the Government may commit crimes in order to secure conviction of a private criminal would bring terrible retribution"

This quote by Louis D. Brandeis is a caution against the idea that completions justify the ways when it concerns criminal law. He is stating that if the government were to commit criminal activities in order to protect the conviction of a personal criminal, it would cause terrible effects. He is stressing the importance of upholding the law and not enabling the federal government to break it in order to accomplish a desired outcome. He is likewise warning that if the federal government were to do this, it would lead to a serious reaction from the general public. This quote works as a tip that the law need to be appreciated and followed, even if it suggests that a bad guy may go unpunished. It is a tip that justice need to be served and that the federal government must not be permitted to take faster ways in order to achieve a preferred outcome.