Political Quotes

“I thank the distinguished senior Senator from Texas. Senator Cornyn and I have had the privilege of being prosecutors, he as an attorney general and I served as the State's attorney. I think you get a special view of what is needed. I have enjoyed working with the Senator because we do not have to paint a great picture for each other; we both understand the mistakes that can be made and why we do not want them. For more than 6 years, I have championed the reauthorization of the Justice for All Act. I want to ensure that our criminal justice system lives up to our national pledge of liberty and justice for all. Having served as a prosecutor--and most former prosecutors--I am committed to ensuring that our criminal justice system has the integrity and confidence of the public it serves. I should not just say former prosecutors; current prosecutors feel that way. From my time on the frontlines as a State's attorney in Chittenden County, VT, to the more than 15 years I have served as either chairman or ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, it has become clear to me that our system is deeply flawed. There is not always justice for all. I have met many innocent people wrongly convicted of crimes they did not commit. I shared the story of Kirk Bloodsworth. He was falsely convicted. He was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a 9-year-old girl--a horrible crime, but he maintained his innocence.…”