[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 67 (Thursday, May 19, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H3587]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                COMMENDING SENATE FOR COURAGEOUS ACTION

  (Mr. CARTER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, the Constitution of the United States 
designed by our Founding Fathers set up a system of establishing a 
judiciary. And in that establishment, they intended for the President 
of the United States to nominate people on the bench and they intended 
for the Senate to give advice and consent to that nomination and, by an 
up-or-down vote, vote on whether or not those people can serve for life 
in the United States judiciary.

                              {time}  1045

  We are seeing today a constitutional challenge that is being met by 
the Senate as they go forward and meet their constitutional duty for an 
up-or-down vote for the judiciary and the nominees that have been 
proposed for our Federal judiciary.
  Mr. Speaker, we expect fair and impartial judges to be appointed to 
the court; and just because they do not meet our political litmus test, 
we should not allow anyone to intervene with our constitutional duty 
which we take an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution 
of the United States as we have served in these offices.
  I commend the Senate for the courageous act that they will go forward 
and do in the following weeks.

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