Posted: 6/03/05
Bush promises nominees
from his 'judicial philosophy'
By Michael Foust
Baptist Press
WASHINGTON (BP)—Speaking after a Senate deal averted a showdown over judicial filibusters, President Bush said he intends to nominate to the Supreme Court only candidates who fit his judicial philosophy.
Although the court does not have a vacancy now, observers believe a seat could come open this summer, perhaps with Chief Justice William Rehnquist stepping down.
“I look forward to talking to members of the Senate about the Supreme Court process, to get their opinions,” Bush said. “But obviously, I told the American people I would find people of a certain temperament that would serve on the bench, and I intend to do that. But we will consult with the Senate.”
The filibuster agreement struck by 14 senators—seven Democrats and seven Republicans—encouraged the White House to consult more with the Senate in nominating justices to the federal court.
Democrats have used the filibuster over the past four years to block about 5 percent of Bush’s federal judicial nominees. The compromise will allow most of the contested nominees to receive a vote. In return, Republicans vowed not to support a procedural tactic—known by some as the “nuclear option”—that would ban judicial filibusters altogether.
If a Supreme Court opening does occur, Bush said, he will “spend a lot of time reviewing the records of a variety of people and looking at their opinions and their character.”
In the past, he has cited Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas—the Supreme Court most conservative members—as the justices whose judicial philosophy he most admires.
The Senate compromise allows future filibusters only under “extraordinary circumstances.”
“I guess (‘extraordinary circumstances’) was vague enough for people to interpret the agreement the way they want to interpret it,” Bush said before adding: “I don’t know what that means. I guess we’re about to find out, when it comes to other appellate judges.”
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