Senator Coons delivers opening statement at Judge Gorsuch’s confirmation hearing
Thank you,
I believe my constitutional duty to advise the president on this nomination to the
This hearing is our opportunity to ask you,
We will explore how your approach to interpreting our
I am committed to ensuring that the consideration of your nomination by this committee is thorough and fair. And I am hopeful that, as our hearing proceeds, it will promote an important dialogue about the
I am considering your nomination with an open mind and I would ask that you be forthcoming in your responses to our questions. I would like this hearing to be substantive and to reflect the best traditions of the
However, I cannot let this moment, commenting on the best traditions of the
For nearly 300 days, longer than any other nominee, Chief
I believe we have a responsibility to work to re-elevate our democratic institutions above these narrow, partisan politics. I will support a process worthy of its important purpose - to carefully evaluate a candidate for the highest court in the land.
The American people are entitled to see you answer probing, thorough, and challenging questions about your views on a wide range of constitutional issues, because the breadth of the issues that come before the Court cannot be overstated.
Just in the last year, the
The seat you would fill,
It's because of
I would like to use these hearings to explore your interpretation of the
I believe in an independent judiciary that safeguards our rule of law from unlawful intrusions of the most powerful - even the president of
The legitimacy of our
As my colleague from
I have spent a great deal of time reviewing your record. I appreciate that you're an engaging and careful writer. I also have some serious questions based on your decisions.
What stands out to me is your tendency to go beyond the issues that need to be resolved in the case before you. I have seen a pattern in which you have filed dissents, dissents from denials of rehearing, concurrences, or even concurrences to your own majority opinions, to explore broader issues than what's necessary, to revisit long-settled precedent, and to promote dramatic changes to the law.
This pattern concerns me because these additional writings hint at an unwillingness to settle on a limited conclusion and forge a narrow consensus with your colleagues.
I want to know that you would apply the
Our
Take the freedom of religion - enshrined in the First Amendment, which says in part "
I believe we must balance our respect for the significance of faith and free exercise with concerns about impacts on other's liberty.
As my colleagues know, I studied law and divinity in school. Some of the most formative and meaningful experiences of my life have been guided by my Christian faith. The command to care for the most vulnerable among us inspires my work as a Senator, and I value opportunities to share with my friends and colleagues in prayer.
Throughout our nation's history, religion has inspired countless acts of charity, kindness, and good work. But when I think about the Founders' wisdom to protect both church and state by ensuring their separation, I am in awe. Our
From Pilgrims to
Now today, across the
Recently, the Court has decided several landmark and controversial cases. The
Religious freedom must also be freedom to not have our values or practices pushed into the public square.
While other nations have been besieged by wars and persecution of religious minorities, inclusion and equality have been guiding lights in the success of our democracy.
However, at other times in our history, sincerely held religious beliefs have been invoked to deny millions of Americans' full equality under the law. It has been invoked in defense of laws prohibiting interracial marriage, LGBT relationships, and reproductive rights.
We live today in tumultuous times, as you know. The
There are disturbing developments that I see in our modern environment as affronts to religious freedom and personal liberty.
The new administration's
And the Attorney General testified under oath at his confirmation hearing that secular attorneys may not have the same claim to understanding the truth as religious ones.
Our next
It is against that backdrop, Judge, that I will be seeking to understand your commitment to the rule of law, the guarantees of the First Amendment, and individual liberty. I look forward to your testimony.
Read this original document at: https://www.coons.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/video-senator-coons-delivers-opening-statement-at-judge-gorsuchs-confirmation-hearing
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