Orrin Hatch: “yesterday, President Bush fulfilled his constitutional duty and nominated John Roberts to fill the vacancy left by…”

“yesterday, President Bush fulfilled his constitutional duty and nominated John Roberts to fill the vacancy left by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court of the United States. The spotlight is now on the Senate of the United States of America. The President has done his duty, and now we need to do ours. Let me first pay tribute to Justice O'Connor who has been a real trailblazer in her own right. The first woman on the Supreme Court, a thoughtful and dedicated jurist, she has ably served on the highest Court for the past nearly 24 years. Her announced retirement creates the first vacancy in nearly 11 years. This has been the longest period with the same set of Justices in more than 175 years. Article II, section 2 of the Constitution says that the President alone nominates, but he appoints only with the advice and consent of the Senate. One of the best shorthand ways of understanding the Senate's role is that by deciding whether to consent to the nomination, we give the President advice about whether to appoint the person he has nominated. Traditionally, we have done so by means of an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor. I commend the President and his team of senior advisers for broadly soliciting the views of Senators and other interested parties. The President and his staff spoke with more than two-thirds of the Members of this body, over 70 Senators, an absolutely unprecedented level of interaction.…”