Political Quotes

“Let me suggest you look at the questions asked of him by Senator Kennedy, written questions after the nominee appeared, that went to specific decided cases and asked for his response or reasoning. Time after time he came back and said: Well, I have to read all of the pleadings that were filed and all the briefs that were filed before I would hazard an opinion upon this. Similarly, when Senator Schumer asked him what I thought to be a perfectly reasonable question, one that had been asked by Republican Senators of Clinton nominees, repeatedly he refused to answer. The question was one that you would dream of in a constitutional law course in law school. The question was: Name a Supreme Court decision in the last 40 years--or a followup question, at any time in its history--that you would find objectionable. If that were the question on the final at law school, you would breathe a sigh of relief. You can think of one case with which you disagree. But this man, seeking a lifetime appointment to the second highest court in the land, would not answer that question. I asked: Which Federal court judge, living or dead, would you emulate or admire on the bench? He went on to say, first, that he could not name a single Federal court judge, living or dead, he would try to emulate on the bench. He then, in later response to the same question, said: I admire some of the Federal Court Justices I have worked with. I can understand that. That is a reasonable response.”