Herb Kohl: “I rise today after a thorough examination of the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito, Jr., to the Supreme Court. After that…”

“I rise today after a thorough examination of the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito, Jr., to the Supreme Court. After that thorough examination, I cannot support the nomination of Judge Alito to the Supreme Court. I fear that a Justice Alito will narrow our rights, limit our freedoms, and overturn decades of progress. To confirm Judge Alito to the Supreme Court would be to gamble with our liberties, a bet I fear the Constitution--and the American people-- would lose. Generations of Americans have looked to the Supreme Court as more than a simple legal tribunal asked to decide cases and controversies. Rather, we expect the Supreme Court to guard our liberties, protect our rights, and--where appropriate--expand our freedoms. This process of bringing life to the promises of the Constitution has never moved predictably--or smoothly. As Martin Luther King, Jr., once noted, ``Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Every step toward the goal of justice requires . . . the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.'' Throughout American history, those ``dedicated individuals'' have fought on many battlegrounds--from the steps of the White House and Congress, to the dangerous back roads traveled by the Freedom Riders. And somehow the fight always leads to the Supreme Court--it is there that these brave individuals have found refuge and, through their victories, changed America for the better.…”