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Quote by Patrick Leahy

“The American people deserve a Supreme Court justice who can demonstrate that he or she will not be beholden to the president, but only to the law.”

Quote by Patrick Leahy

Author

Patrick Leahy (born March 31, 1940) is an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Vermont from 1975 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the longest-serving current senator and the last remaining senator from the Vietnam War era. Leahy chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee and served on the Appropriations Committee, championing civil rights, environmental protection, and judicial reform. He authored key legislation including the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act and the Leahy Act for wetland protection. Known for bipartisanship, he also gained attention as a photographer and comic book collector. Upon retirement, he left a legacy of legislative achievement and institutional stability. more

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“This is a time when the protections of Americans' liberties are directly at risk, as are the checks and balances that have served to constrain abuses of power for more than 200 years. The Supreme Court is relied upon by all of to us protect our fundamental rights.”

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“The appointment of the next Supreme Court justice must be made in the people's interest and in the nation's interest, not in the interest of any partisan faction.”

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“Under the Constitution, the president, not the Senate, nominates and appoints judges. The Senate has a different role. We must give our advice .”

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“The debate over judicial nominations is a debate over the judiciary itself. It is a debate over how much power unelected judges should have in our system of government, how much control judges should have over a written constitution that belongs to the people.”

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“Ending up in the right place in this debate requires starting in the right place. The right place to start is the proper discrimination of what judges are supposed to do, and the rest of the process should reflect this judicial job description.”

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“I never looked at the consequences of missing a big shot... when you think about the consequences you always think of a negative result.”

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“In our system of government, the judicial and legislative branches have different roles. Judges are not politicians. Judges must decide cases, not champion causes. Judges must settle legal disputes, not pursue agendas. Judges must interpret and apply the law, not make the law.”

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“This principle that judges are not politicians lies at the very heart of a judicial job - of the judicial job description.”

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“We must remember that judicial nominees are constrained in what they may discuss and how they may discuss it.”

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“Because judges may not issue advisory opinions, judicial nominees may not do so either, especially on issues likely to come before the court. That rule has always been honored.”

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