Political Quotes

“it is no secret that the Senate doesn't do much around here, except for confirming judges. But looking at the records of the folks we are confirming to the Federal bench, it is clear we have forgotten even how to do that. The Founding Fathers were incredibly visionary. When they set up the Federal judiciary, they hoped to insulate it from political influence. How? By giving them lifetime appointments, with the advice and consent of the Senate. In doing so, they gave the Senators the most solemn of responsibilities we have in this body: evaluating judicial nominees on their independence, their fairness, their temperament, and their judgment. Unfortunately, these days, the Republican majority seems to have thrown qualifications out the window. Instead, they give out lifetime appointments to the court like candy. This doesn't prevent partisanship from influencing our judicial system; it ensures partisanship. The latest example is Lawrence VanDyke's nomination to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction over Montana. Mr. VanDyke is a familiar face to Montanans because he grew up and attended school in the great State of Montana. He also served as Montana's solicitor general before resigning to run an unsuccessful race for the State supreme court. Montanans can separate the wheat from the chaff pretty well, and after examining his record and judgment, they found Mr. VanDyke unqualified to serve on the State's highest court.…”