Orrin Hatch: “I rise to commend the holding of the Supreme Court's decision this morning in NLRB vs. Noel Canning. The Court's…”

“I rise to commend the holding of the Supreme Court's decision this morning in NLRB vs. Noel Canning. The Court's decision is a critical victory for the principle that we are a nation of laws, not of men. It is a vindication of the fundamental notion that the Constitution binds us all, including even the President, and it is a triumph for the rightful prerogatives of this institution, the U.S. Senate, the authority of which has been under siege throughout the Obama years. One of the most important powers endowed in this body by the Constitution is the requirement that nominations of principal officers receive the advice and consent of the Senate. The confirmation process provides Members of the Senate with a wide range of tools--up to and including outright refusal to confirm a nominee--in order to influence the proper execution of the laws we pass. When aggregated, these tools amount to a critical check on the workings of the executive branch. The Senate's advice and consent rule did not rise from accident--far from it.…”