QUOTE
Whitehouse Statement on President Bush's Supreme Court Chief Justice Nominee
Senate Judiciary Committee Completes Hearings
September 16, 2005 - (Cranston, R.I.) - Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate Sheldon Whitehouse today offered this statement in regards to Judge John Roberts, President Bush's nominee for a lifetime appointment to serve as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court:
"As someone who has argued before the United States Supreme Court on behalf of the people of Rhode Island, I have the highest respect and appreciation for the nation's highest judicial body. The Supreme Court's rulings have far reaching effects on our state and the nation and the values and rights that we cherish.
Following President Bush's nomination of John Roberts to the U.S. Supreme Court, I expressed my concerns in regards to his judicial philosophy, particularly his views on upholding a woman's fundamental right to choose, basic privacy rights, civil rights and defending the environment. During the course of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, I found Judge Roberts' answers to these serious concerns to be both evasive and inadequate. Judge Roberts failed to answer a whole range of questions, many of which were not specific to how he would rule on cases that would come before the court. Judge Roberts chose to answer the questions that would be helpful to advance his nomination, but avoided those questions on critical, but controversial, issues that would have been helpful to Senators and America to shed light on his personal views and judicial philosophy.
Republicans have made extraordinary efforts to force a new direction on our courts as they seek to turn the judiciary into a right wing political body. It is a calculated strategy. Given the Republicans politicization of this process, the American people have a right to know where a nominee stands on important judicial issues, to assess whether the nominee will be a truly independent jurist.
Judge Roberts refused to answer too many questions.
I am concerned that President Bush and the conservative wing of the Republican Party intend to tilt a narrowly divided Supreme Court in a radically conservative direction. I do not believe that this direction is in the best interests of the Court or the American people.
I believe that nominees who go before the Senate for an appointment to the Supreme Court in this environment have an obligation to tell the American people where they stand on fundamental issues. John Roberts has not fulfilled this obligation.
Therefore, with regret, because I believe that Judge Roberts is intellectually qualified to serve on the Supreme Court, after careful consideration I would oppose President Bush's nominee to serve for life as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court."
Senate Judiciary Committee Completes Hearings
September 16, 2005 - (Cranston, R.I.) - Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate Sheldon Whitehouse today offered this statement in regards to Judge John Roberts, President Bush's nominee for a lifetime appointment to serve as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court:
"As someone who has argued before the United States Supreme Court on behalf of the people of Rhode Island, I have the highest respect and appreciation for the nation's highest judicial body. The Supreme Court's rulings have far reaching effects on our state and the nation and the values and rights that we cherish.
Following President Bush's nomination of John Roberts to the U.S. Supreme Court, I expressed my concerns in regards to his judicial philosophy, particularly his views on upholding a woman's fundamental right to choose, basic privacy rights, civil rights and defending the environment. During the course of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, I found Judge Roberts' answers to these serious concerns to be both evasive and inadequate. Judge Roberts failed to answer a whole range of questions, many of which were not specific to how he would rule on cases that would come before the court. Judge Roberts chose to answer the questions that would be helpful to advance his nomination, but avoided those questions on critical, but controversial, issues that would have been helpful to Senators and America to shed light on his personal views and judicial philosophy.
Republicans have made extraordinary efforts to force a new direction on our courts as they seek to turn the judiciary into a right wing political body. It is a calculated strategy. Given the Republicans politicization of this process, the American people have a right to know where a nominee stands on important judicial issues, to assess whether the nominee will be a truly independent jurist.
Judge Roberts refused to answer too many questions.
I am concerned that President Bush and the conservative wing of the Republican Party intend to tilt a narrowly divided Supreme Court in a radically conservative direction. I do not believe that this direction is in the best interests of the Court or the American people.
I believe that nominees who go before the Senate for an appointment to the Supreme Court in this environment have an obligation to tell the American people where they stand on fundamental issues. John Roberts has not fulfilled this obligation.
Therefore, with regret, because I believe that Judge Roberts is intellectually qualified to serve on the Supreme Court, after careful consideration I would oppose President Bush's nominee to serve for life as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court."