John Cornyn

But, of course, we are all volunteers here and no one is holding a gun to our head and making us do these jobs.

Dr. Miller, are you aware that, on December 16, 2010, DOD put an end to that by transferring procurement authority for these 21 aircraft from the Navy to the Army?

Mr. Kendall, are you aware that, on December 16, 2010, DOD put an end to that by transferring procurement authority for these 21 aircraft from the Navy to the Army?

The same old broken game of politics.

The president has a debt commission that reports December the 1st and I think we'd all like to see what they come back with.

I think it would be a strange system indeed if our system allowed for precedent to be disrespected and become not binding any longer.

I think when--when the Court looks as though it's flipping around and changing sides just because the justices have changed, that that's bad for the credibility of the institution and it's bad for the system of law.

Assuming that a majority party, let's say Democrats who enjoy a very large majority in both Houses of the legislature, decide to suppress the speech of political supporters of the minority because they have the votes in order to do so...

I was pleased to hear you say that, once decided by the Supreme Court, even by a 5-4 margin, that cases like Heller, McDonald, and Citizens United are the law of the land and entitled to deference by succeeding Courts, even if you may…

I think that Heller is settled law, and Heller has decided that the Second Amendment confers such an individual right to keep and bear arms.

But do you agree with me that Supreme Court cases in recent decades have largely eliminated the important role of the Supreme Court in checking the size and scope of the Federal Government?

Senator Cornyn. How about--how about today? You talked about some legal history that I'm vaguely familiar with.

I happen to agree with him, and you, that that would be a great educational opportunity for the American people.

Millions of Americans believe that the Federal Government is simply out of control today because they were taught, as perhaps all of us were taught, that the Federal Government is one of enumerated powers and that all powers not delegated…

The only way Congress is going to be restrained is by one of two ways. Either the Court is going to say 'you've gone too far,' which occasionally they've done, or the people will amend the Constitution.

If the Supreme Court of the United States is not going to constrain the power grabs of the Federal Government and constrain Congress in terms of its reach down to people's everyday lives, that there remain only two constitutional options…

When the Supreme Court creates new rights, the Justices, in effect, take away the power of the people to govern themselves through their elected representatives.

Liberty is not a cruise ship full of pampered passengers. Liberty is a man of war and we're all the crew.

No court of law under this view has the authority to invent new rights just because the judge happens to think that it is a good idea.

If, as you say, this policy of Harvard Law School in barring the military recruiters from the Office of Career Services had no impact on military recruiting at Harvard Law School, it strikes me that the sole result and impact was to…

If judges, particularly Federal judges, who serve a lifetime tenure, believe it's within their power to interpret the Constitution based on their subjective notion of what represents evolving norms and traditions then constitutional law…

There are a number of think tanks--and I will allude to just one--that have come up with a strategy to do what needs to be done to deal with visa overstays. I refer to a Backgrounder, published by the Heritage Foundation, dated January 25…

I guess the problem I have had during the public discussion about whether Miranda rights should be given to people suspected of terrorist actions, both here and on the battlefield, is a confusion in the approach.

Do you agree with the Attorney General that the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is still--that trial in a civilian court in Manhattan is still an option?

I urge my colleagues to support the Cornyn amendment. This is a transparency amendment. It just gives the American people and Congress the information we need in order to make a determination of whether Third World countries owning our…