SUPREME COURT

SUPREME COURT

CONSERVATIVES ON THE SUPREME COURT

"The supposed 'conservative' ascendancy on the Supreme Court is a myth. Of the nine justices, only three are accurately called conservative, and only one of those, Clarence Thomas, adheres unwaveringly to the doctrine of strict constructionism. O'Connor was ideologically indefinable. She was symbolic of the disappointment conservatives have routinely felt after all but a few Republican nominations to the high court. The number of truly conservative Supreme Court justices since 1950 can be counted on one hand with room to spare. ... Unlike liberals, conservatives don't care so much about the outcome of the Supreme Court's decisions. What matters is not where the court ends up, but how it gets there. Appointing a strict constructionist will not guarantee conservative political victories in court cases, nor should it. All it would do is ensure that the Constitution's clear meaning is more closely followed. That is what the Founders intended, and it is what the President should attempt."
--New Hampshire Union-Leader

JUDICIAL CONSERVATIVES

"A judicial conservative is not necessarily politically conservative, but believes in sticking to the actual Constitution as it was understood by those who made it law rather than amending the Constitution from the bench... I don't think the question is whether the candidate is like a politician who can bring the country together. The question is whether a candidate respects the actual Constitution. A candidate who does that is not a right-wing extremist."
--Robert Bork