Former Republican senator and presidential candidate Fred Thompson says the Senate confirmation hearings process for Supreme Court nominees is a waste of time.
Speaking on his radio show Tuesday, former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson said the goal of a judicial nominee in the confirmation process is to "play for time and never say anything objectionable" because the process is for the purpose of giving a nominee an opportunity to make a gaffe. He made his comments in the midst of hearings for Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Barack Obama's first nominee for a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court. Thompson said based on his experience with confirmation hearings, what a nominee says during his or her hearing is one of the least important considerations that should influence a senator's vote. "A nominee's judicial and professional record, along with their public statements and reputation for integrity, are much more reliable indicators as to the kind of judge they will be," he contends. "Our Founding Fathers recognized this early on, and it is the main reason confirmation hearings were not even held on a regular basis until the 1950s." Thompson noted that in 1987, Reagan Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork "refused to subject himself to the usual dog-and-pony Q & A," and was rejected by the Senate after being candid about his judicial philosophy. The former senator represented The Volunteer State in the U.S. Senate from December 1994 until early January 2003.
Speaking on his radio show Tuesday, former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson said the goal of a judicial nominee in the confirmation process is to "play for time and never say anything objectionable" because the process is for the purpose of giving a nominee an opportunity to make a gaffe. He made his comments in the midst of hearings for Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Barack Obama's first nominee for a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court. Thompson said based on his experience with confirmation hearings, what a nominee says during his or her hearing is one of the least important considerations that should influence a senator's vote. "A nominee's judicial and professional record, along with their public statements and reputation for integrity, are much more reliable indicators as to the kind of judge they will be," he contends. "Our Founding Fathers recognized this early on, and it is the main reason confirmation hearings were not even held on a regular basis until the 1950s." Thompson noted that in 1987, Reagan Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork "refused to subject himself to the usual dog-and-pony Q & A," and was rejected by the Senate after being candid about his judicial philosophy.
The former senator represented The Volunteer State in the U.S. Senate from December 1994 until early January 2003.
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