Could America use more Robertses and Alitos on the bench?

The Associated Press

Justice Samuel Alito, left, and Chief Justice John Roberts, with their families at a White House reception.

Featured Topic | Posted 1 year 8 weeks ago

Could America use more Robertses and Alitos on the bench?

Highlighting an issue he plans to use aggressively in the general election campaign, John McCain on Tuesday decried "the common and systematic abuse of our federal courts by the people we entrust with judicial power" and pledged to nominate judges similar to the ones President Bush has placed on the bench.

McCain spoke Tuesday at Wake Forest University about the Constitution and his own judicial philosophy. Using key confidence-building phrases like “judicial restraint” and “limits to the scope of judicial power,” McCain lauded the appointment of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, saying he would nominate justices in their mold -- notably leaving out more polarizing Justices Thomas and Scalia.

Does a candidates judicial philosophy matter? Is judicial restraint important? Should judges be deciding whether abortion and other hot-button issues are constitutional rights? Are Roberts and Alito good models of judicial restraint and justices with a coherent philosophy? If not Roberts and Alito, then who would be?

Ben likes: Judicial promise

National Review

The future direction of the Supreme Court is very much at stake in this November’s presidential election. The two or three justices most likely to depart the Court over the next four years -- Justice Stevens, Justice Ginsburg, and possibly Justice Souter -- are liberal judicial activists who routinely read their own policy preferences into the Constitution and who selectively regard their own favored precedents as sacrosanct. If a President Obama or a President Clinton names their successors, the slender operating majority on the Court for liberal activist results on most contentious political issues is likely to be preserved for at least another generation. By contrast, a president committed to nominate, and fight for, justices who will practice judicial restraint offers real hope that the Court may soon be restored to its proper role in our constitutional system. In his speech today, John McCain has provided encouraging evidence that he would be that president. One speech, of course, does not a campaign -- or a Supreme Court appointment -- make. John McCain needs to continue to make the case for judicial restraint and to draw the stark contrast between his views and his Democratic opponent’s on the proper role of the judiciary. If elected, he will need to populate key judge-picking positions -- including the White House counsel and the attorney general -- with experienced advisers committed to his stated goals. (We would rest easier if he threw out a few names now.) And he will need to be ready to devote a lot of political capital to defeat intransigent Democratic opposition in the Senate. Conservatives, for their part, need to do what we can to help McCain live up to his promises.

Joel likes: McCain's code words

Doug Kendall/Huffington Post

If the proper role of the judiciary is going to be one of "the defining issues of this presidential election," as John McCain asserted today, he should try to develop a coherent position on the topic.

At his speech in North Carolina, McCain expressed his opposition to judges who issue opinions "wandering farther and farther from the clear meanings of the Constitution" and who solve "policy questions that should be decided democratically."

The problem is that the justices McCain hails as the paragons of constitutional fidelity and judicial restraint -- John Roberts and Samuel Alito -- have been quite activist in a number of cases, departing from the Constitution's text and history and sharply limiting important federal, state, and local laws passed by overwhelming popular majorities.

John McCain knows this, of course, because one of the better examples is FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life, a 5-4 opinion written by Roberts in 2007 which defangs the limits on corporate issue ads imposed by the McCain/Feingold Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. McCain initiated the suit against Wisconsin Right to Life and when the Court limited his law he called its opinion "regrettable." He is right about that.

Where do you stand on this issue?

Click on the graph to cast your vote.

average
vote

your vote

Email Topic

Thoughts

I found this web site recently through a friend of mine...

Submitted on December 6th, 2008 by Anonymous

Hi,

I found this web site recently through a friend of mine and have to say I love this place already. So far, I've learned a lot of from this std testing http://www.std-testing.ws web site. Just thought I’d share the link with y’all. Hopefully you find it as informative as I did!

slotmachinonlinecasin

Submitted on December 6th, 2008 by Anonymous

slot machine slot online casino keno
[url=http://frsl.forum2go.nl/]slot machine play fun[/url]
http://gau.yourbb.nl/ pompeii slots pay table
casino internet keno
http://onlam.yourbb.nl/ poker casinos
online
yamasa giant pulsar skill slot instructions
[url=http://caro.forum2go.nl/]free little green men casino game[/url]
[url=http://gau.yourbb.nl/]black jack slot machine betting online[/url]
http://frsl.forum2go.nl/ how can i win playing slot machines
sun chief slot machine nickle
slots games top secret for pc
american grand casino freeslots
http://rbske.yourbb.nl/ free keno tournaments win real cash
[url=http://onlam.yourbb.nl/]online usa casinos[/url]
[url=http://rbske.yourbb.nl/]keno oregon motocross[/url]
[url=http://gunbs.forum2go.nl/]slot machines[/url]
http://gunbs.forum2go.nl/ hee haw free slot play
http://caro.forum2go.nl/ treasure island resort and casino
buffalo run casino

saqppujkolrvf

Submitted on December 6th, 2008 by Anonymous

http://saqppujkolrvf.com saqppujkolrvf
saqppujkolrvf
[url=http://saqppujkolrvf.com]saqppujkolrvf[/url]

fioricephenter

Submitted on December 5th, 2008 by Anonymous

fioricet phentermine xanax viagra zolpidem valium cipro
http://fioru.fi.funpic.de/fioricet-cod.h... addiction to fioricet during pregnancy
http://isph.is.ohost.de/discount-phenter... phentermine 30

seroquel and xanax
http://natvi.easyfreeforum.it/ venta de viagra
http://gratisforums.com/zolpch/ greece in zolpidem

[url=http://www.atfreeforum.com/chev/]valium menopause[/url]

[url=http://s8.createphpbb.com/bxan/]valium abuse[/url]

potency of cipro after 5 years
http://www.phpbb88.com/broipr/ cipro 250mg
http://www.makephpbb.com/phpbb/sinplu.ht... neutral singular pronoun

[url=http://www.blogmyway.org/?w=atiho]ativan versus xanax[/url]

azithromycin tablets

asia dispensary

Submitted on December 4th, 2008 by Anonymous

asia dispensary - [url=http://tvitujopqr.fizwig.com/asia-dispensary.html]asia dispensary[/url]

zolpideoxycontina

Submitted on December 4th, 2008 by Anonymous

zolpidem oxycontin ambien wellbutrin levitra adipex bingo online pharmacy synthroid black jack

zolpidem tartrate tablet
http://buxyc.aforumfree.com/ oxycontin 40 mg per day
http://www.atfreeforum.com/mmb/ ambien urine testing

wellbutrin for anxiety

[url=http://www.setbb.com/lemal/]levitra professinal[/url]

[url=http://s8.createphpbb.com/dipea/]adepex[/url]

free play bingo games

[url=http://www.phpbbserver.com/cnon/]alesse generic online pharmacy[/url]
http://synthdi.easyfreeforum.it/ homeopathic replacement for synthroid

black jack 2

blacjackslotmachinin

Submitted on December 3rd, 2008 by Anonymous

black jack slot machine casino bingo keno
online casno
http://blacka.yourbb.nl/ bla
ckjack deck
mgm casino las vegas
http://freloat.yourbb.nl/ adult free game machine slot
http://casiy.yourbb.nl/ dinero negocios casinos
http://inteb.forum2go.nl/ gala line bingo
http://be3re.forum2go.nl/ online internet casino
hit stand learn play blackjack
http://blaci.forum2go.nl/ win blackjack
gamble black jack
bingo club in the uk
http://kenrat.forum2go.nl/ keno las vegas
keno daily lottery
all kind of video slot machine
play free bingo win real money
http://bingki.yourbb.nl/ free bingo game on yahoo

Free video - James Bond 007 Quantum

Submitted on December 3rd, 2008 by Anonymous

Hi! It's my new list anime and hentai video : [url=http://jamescookbond.vox.com/library/post/olga-kurylenko-free-video-and-movies-sexy-online-naked.html]Quantum Of Solace Trailer Audio[/url] :) WELCOME!
PS my old website: [url=http://jamescookbond.vox.com/library/post/download-nontendo-games-for-free.html]Cheats For Sims Busting Out On Xbox[/url] and [url=http://jamescookbond.vox.com/library/post/xbox-best-games-online-free.html]Game Cube Emulator For Xbox[/url]
bonus - [url=http://jamescookbond.vox.com/library/post/nintendo-xbox-best-games-list.html]Black Hawk Down Xbox Game[/url]

gayt winks

Submitted on December 3rd, 2008 by Anonymous

gay http://80.93.49.210/redu/user/view.php?i... gay http://164.58.224.87/moodle19/user/view.... gay http://193.147.33.52/ingles/user/view.ph... gay http://129.11.156.202/user/view.php?id=5... gay http://4d-elearning.com/user/view.php?id... gay http://abcd-eu.org/moodle_1_7/user/view.... gay http://academy.sci-finatics.net/user/vie... gay http://accfinstore.co.za/elearning/user/... gay http://adott.co.uk/moodle/user/view.php?... gay http://aecademyasia.com/m/user/view.php?... gay http://abcfrancais.net/course/user/view.... gay http://ako.net.nz/lms/user/view.php?id=1... gay http://andrewcheadle.net/moodle/user/vie... gay http://anesthesiologyu.com/moodle/user/v... gay http://203.157.15.2/belearning/user/view... gay http://ashmoodle.org/user/view.php?id=80...

acomplitramadollevaq

Submitted on December 2nd, 2008 by Anonymous

acomplia tramadol levaquin valtrex celebrex cephalexin cipro clomid diazepam diet pills
http://acomyh.forumx.hu/ sanofi-aventis acomplia
http://www.blogmyway.org/?w=trrochl sniffing tramadol
acomplia vs hoodia
very cheap tramadol
http://www.xeeks.com/levaq/ expired lavaquin
http://justblogme.com/genlt/ valtrex acyclovir
levaquin osteomyelitis
valtrex cheapest prices
http://www.atfreeforum.com/celettor/ pharmaceutical giant that created ce
lebrex
http://s8.createphpbb.com/cephes/ apo cephalex used for tooth infection?
celebrex attorneys dallas
what does cephalexin teva look like
http://www.setbb.com/cipan/ cipro and delerium
http://www.phpbbserver.com/sylom/ conceive after stopping clomid
cipro alcohol
fallopian tube closed clomid
http://www.phpbb88.com/diazwith/ best deals for diazepam
http://www.makephpbb.com/phpbb/pheujtml.... adipex diet discount phentermine pill
diazepam information
cuur diet pills

fioricetdietpillsphen

Submitted on December 2nd, 2008 by Anonymous

fioricet diet pills phentermine azithromycin propecia cipro online pharmacy oxycontin clomid ultracet
http://wwwmedd.yourfreehosting.net/order... fioricet with codeine while pregnant
http://orotabs.seitenclique.net/diet-pil... 10 best diet pill
fioricet order by 4pm
looking to purchase diet pill online
http://www.hottest-host.com/wpillk/side-... buy generic phentermine
http://alprapill.fusedtree.com/azithromy... azithromycin durg interactions
strongest phentermine
azithromycin and birth control pill
http://www.hottest-host.com/onlinert/pro... canada cheap propecia
http://medhh.fizwig.com/cipro.html usps and cri and cipro
propecia side
photos of cipro floxin tablets
http://frpilll.seitenclique.net/onlineph... boots online pharmacy
http://aipillp.fizwig.com/oxycontin-with... oxycontin generic
online pharmacy pacific rim
san diego buy oxycontin in person
http://drpill.fusedtree.com/when-to-take... clomad
http://bobtablet.seitenclique.net/what-i... can ultracet get you high
clomid and underweight
is ultracet a controlled m
ed

gang colouring for LG Chocolate?

Submitted on December 1st, 2008 by Anonymous

Hello.
Can anyone utter me how I would get a ditty onto my mobby?
The directions is useless...

casinslotmachin

Submitted on December 1st, 2008 by Anonymous

casino slot machine online casino keno black jack

[url=http://csira.forum2go.nl/]best casino gambling sites[/url]

bled casino lake machine slot

[url=http://frsl.yourbb.nl/]referbished slot machines in tucson[/url]

casino online play for free
http://playke.forum2go.nl/ free sign up bonus for keno

black casino free jack money play

free slot machine and video poker

game keno keno

angeles attorney california immigration los

Submitted on November 30th, 2008 by Anonymous

attorney family law louis st , attorney blogspot com disease florida lawsuit parkinsons site , http://amerigo.hoster3.com/special-power... , general practice attorney massachusetts , attorney death georgia wrongful , http://fatter.avafreehost.com/attorney-c... , michael wise attorney massachusetts , colorado dui lawyer attorney , http://amerimark.gbs.me/criminal-defense... , vermont attorney general election , va attorney generals office , http://wect.justfree.com/attorney-child-...
.Will be underscored for claus 271108. attorney custody virginia , traumatic brain injury attorney buffalo , http://airindia.yoyohost.com/association... , attorney child custody island rhode , back injury attorney support service , http://fattori.freewhost.com/product-lia... , criminal defense attorney criminal defense attorney , 1980s attorney general mee , http://americangirl.deo7.com/attorney-ci... , attorney criminal georgia , social security disability attorneys new haven , http://zoominfo.hostrator.com/florida-ba... .
http://www.babyshue.com/bbs//view.php?id... , http://netkereset.hu/forum/viewtopic.php... , http://gunpo.womenlink.or.kr/bbs//view.p... , http://www.shilohcentral.com/modules.php... , http://naturetec.kr/bbs//view.php?id=qna...

keflexcodeizolpi

Submitted on November 30th, 2008 by Anonymous

keflex codeine zolpidem synthroid singulair ritalin plavix fioricet levitra

archery bow deflex

acetaminophen with codeine canada

liver zolpidem
http://justblogme.com/dosnthr/ calculating synthroid dosage

[url=http://takingsingulair.proboards.com/]singulair bad[/url]

an italin confession
http://www.atfreeforum.com/genepl/ plavix side effects

[url=http://www.setbb.com/fiopl/]side effects of fioricet[/url]
http://www.phpbbserver.com/levtorn/ medicine info levitra

[url=http://www.phpbb88.com/vaabu/]anxiety valium[/url]

[url=http://www.blogmyway.org/?w=genori]online generic fiorcet[/url]

buy zithromax to treat chlamydia