United States Senator Jeff Sessions

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Sessions Named Ranking Member of Judiciary Committee

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

WASHINGTON—Senate Republicans today named Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, a post that puts the former federal prosecutor and Attorney General of Alabama front and center during the nomination process to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter.

Sessions made the following comments regarding today’s vote and the Supreme Court nomination process:

“I appreciate the support and encouragement of my colleagues in selecting me as Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee, and I look forward to working with President Obama and Chairman Leahy during the upcoming Supreme Court nomination process.

“The president should be accorded reasonable deference in his judicial nomination, but the Judiciary Committee is obligated to act on behalf of the American people by scrutinizing the nominee’s experience and judicial temperament, and identifying the nominee’s strengths and weaknesses. The nominee deserves a fair evaluation, and I will insist on a fair hearing, but I will also ensure that the questioning be a rigorous and thorough examination of his or her qualifications. Only through thoughtful and substantive questioning can the Senate fully meet its constitutional responsibility to ‘advise and consent.’

“Any nominee must understand that the role of a justice is to be a neutral umpire of the law, calling the balls and strikes fairly while avoiding the temptation to make policy or legislate from the bench based on personal political views. We must return to our original understanding that policy-making is reserved to the political branches and that courts serve the limited, but essential, role of disposing of cases and controversies based on a fair construction of the Constitution. An effective court system, based on the rule of law, has proven to be one of America’s greatest strengths, and we must ensure that this strong civic tradition endures.”




May 2009 News Releases


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