Political Quotes

“Madam President, I also rise to discuss the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch of the Tenth Circuit. I take this very seriously. I started my legal career as an appellate law clerk in the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in the South, working for a spectacular jurist, Judge R. Lanier Anderson III. He taught me about what it was to be an appellate judge: humility, not making a case a personal cause, and careful application of the law. I then went on to practice law in the State and Federal courts, the trial and appeal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court as a civil rights lawyer for 17 years. When I was the Governor of Virginia, I twice had to appoint members of the Virginia Supreme Court and grappled with qualifications to serve on an appellate bench. Maybe most especially, my wife was a judge. So with a judge in the house--she was a judge for 8 years--I spent a lot of time also thinking about the characteristics of a good judge. Judge Gorsuch has some strong characteristics, educational background, and professional experience. These are characteristics that are worthy of respect. But I have decided that there is an additional characteristic that is very important--judicial philosophy. And as I have looked at Judge Gorsuch's judicial philosophy, I have concluded that I cannot support him. I have read scores of his opinions. I met with him in my office.…”