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 Home > News & Policies > October 2008

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 6, 2008

Fact Sheet: Judges Who Honor the Constitution
President Bush Has Appointed Judges Who Do Not Legislate From The Bench

     Fact sheet In Focus: Judicial Nominations
     Fact sheet President Bush Discusses Judicial Accomplishments and Philosophy

Today, President Bush will discuss the proper role of Federal judges and the caliber of judges he has appointed with the Cincinnati Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society and the Ashbrook Center. Few issues have been more hotly debated or had a more lasting impact on our country's course. Of President Bush's judicial nominees, the Senate has confirmed 61 Circuit Court judges and 261 District Court judges (as of October 6, 2008). Today more than one-third of all Federal judges have been appointed by him – and these men and women are jurists of the highest caliber with an abiding belief in the sanctity of our Constitution.

Judges Matter To Every American, And The Belief In Judicial Restraint Is Shared By The Vast Majority Of Our Nation

The judicial branch has the potential to wield enormous power. It is the only branch of government whose officers are unelected. That means the judges appointed to the Federal bench should exercise their power prudently, cautiously, and conservatively. Judges can have a profound impact on the daily lives of every citizen.

  • The proper role of judges is to apply the laws as written, and not to advance their own agendas. Eight years ago when President Bush was seeking the presidency, he said America needed judges who believed that the Constitution means what it says. So when he took office, he promised the American people that his Administration would seek out judicial nominees who follow that philosophy. He has kept that pledge.

President Bush Has Appointed To The Supreme Court Two Jurists Of Decency, Integrity, And Good Judgment

President Bush's judicial philosophy is demonstrated most clearly by the outstanding judges he has appointed to the bench. America is particularly well served by President Bush's appointments to the Supreme Court.

  • Chief Justice John Roberts: He received his bachelor's degree from Harvard in just three years and was managing editor of the Harvard Law Review. He clerked for the Chief Justice whom he would later replace, William H. Rehnquist. Chief Justice Roberts' philosophy is: "Judges are like umpires. Umpires don't make the rules; they apply them ... It is a limited role. Nobody ever went to a ball game to see the umpire."

  • Justice Samuel Alito: He graduated from Princeton and Yale Law School, served in Ronald Reagan's Justice Department, was U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, and served as judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. When the President nominated him, this good man was hailed by Democrats and Republicans alike for his keen mind and impeccable credentials.

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