Obama on judges
Posted by Richard on May 9, 2008
Maybe if I read the following CNN transcript excerpt every day until the election, it will motivate me to vote for McCain:
BLITZER: You used to teach constitutional law.
OBAMA: Yes.
BLITZER: You know a lot about the Supreme Court. And the next president of the United States will have an opportunity to nominate justices for the Supreme Court.
…
BLITZER: Are there members, justices right now upon who you would model, you would look at? Who do you like?
OBAMA: Well, you know, I think actually Justice Breyer, Justice Ginsburg are very sensible judges.
I think that Justice Souter, who was a Republican appointee, is a sensible judge. What you're looking for is somebody who is going to apply the law where it's clear. Now, there's going to be those 5 percent of cases or 1 percent of cases where the law isn't clear. And the judge then has to bring in his or her own perspectives, his ethics, his or her moral bearings.
And, in those circumstances, what I do want is a judge who's sympathetic enough to those who are on the outside, those who are vulnerable, those who are powerless, those who can't have access to political power, and, as a consequence, can't protect themselves from being — from being dealt with sometimes unfairly, that the courts become a refuge for judges.
Yes, we can have more justices like Ginsberg and Souter, who'll ignore the Constitution and turn the courts into "a refuge for judges." Excuse me, I have to go throw up.
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