Russ Feingold: “this kind of evasive testimony only makes it more difficult to analyze whether or not a nominee is well suited for a…”

“this kind of evasive testimony only makes it more difficult to analyze whether or not a nominee is well suited for a position on a Federal appeals court. I was also troubled by Mr. Tymkovich's insistence that the Romer case presented a political question and should not have been decided by the courts. The courts have played an important role in ensuring civil rights for all Americans. If our Nation left all questions of civil rights to the legislatures, school segregation might still be practiced in parts of the country today. In Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, KS, the Supreme Court did its job by injecting itself in a contentious political debate and protecting the right of African Americans to equal education. I understand that these are President Bush's nominees and that he has the right to nominate whomever he wants to the bench. But as much as it is our duty to fill vacancies in the Federal judiciary, it is also our duty to give great scrutiny to those nominees who have a record that calls into question their ability to give all those litigants who would appear before them a fair and impartial hearing.”