Posted on 02/27/2006 4:49:17 PM PST by new yorker 77
Former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese III last night condemned what he termed the vicious attacks by left-leaning groups and legislators against judicial nominees who favor judicial restraint.
"Since 2001, the attacks on judges who are faithful to the Constitution have been systematic, prolonged and particularly vicious," he charged.
Meese made his remarks during an appearance at the University of Richmond, presented by the Federalist Society of the T.C. Williams School of Law.
He told an attentive crowd of about 100 that the recent hearings for John G. Roberts Jr. and Samuel A. Alito Jr. to be justices of the U.S. Supreme Court were more like political campaigns than nomination hearings.
He said both sides advertised in newspapers and on television and held rallies and news conferences to support their points of view.
The hearings themselves "in many ways were attempts to intimidate the nominees," Meese said. "There were false accusations and some would say character assassination attempts."
He asserted that the often harsh tone of recent hearings, both for the Supreme Court nominees and even for appellate judges, was not typical of the judicial confirmation process over most of the history of the country.
Meese was appointed attorney general in President Ronald Reagan's second term and was the president's principal policy adviser before that.
He emphasized that judges should not make laws.
One of the triumphs of the Founding Fathers, Meese said, was a written Constitution that could serve as a reliable guide and foundation for judicial interpretation.
Meese said the Constitution was not a "trampoline" for judges to jump off in every direction.
Contact staff writer Gary Robertson at grobertson@timesdispatch.com or (804) 649-6346.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesdispatch.com ...
He is one of the GOP greats!
"Since 2001, the attacks on judges who are faithful to the Constitution have been systematic, prolonged and particularly vicious," he charged.
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