A Powerful Excerpt

James has posted a video of Senator Jeff Sessions' closing remarks on the confirmation process of Sonia Sotomayor below this post. I wanted to point out what I think is a particularly powerful excerpt from his speech:

This is not a question of left versus right or Democrat versus Republican. This is a question of the true role of a judge versus the false role of a judge. It is a question of whether a judge follows the law as written or as they wish it to be. It is a question of whether we live up to our great legal heritage or whether it is abandoned.

Empathy-based rulings, no matter how well-intentioned, do not help society but imperil the legal system that is so essential to our freedoms and so fundamental to our way of life.

We need judges who uphold the rights of all, not just some – whether they are New Haven firefighters, law-abiding gun-owners, or any American looking for their fair day in court. We need judges who put the Constitution before politics, and the right legal outcome before their desired social outcome. We need judges who understand that if they truly care about society, and want it to be strong and healthy, then they must help ensure that our legal system is fair, objective and firmly rooted in the Constitution.

Americans are very fortunate to have courageous men like Jeff Sessions, who take their role as defenders of the Constitution seriously, as leaders in the U.S. Senate.