[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16180]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           THE SUPREME COURT

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, briefly in response to my friend from 
Kentucky, the distinguished majority whip, I agree with him. We should 
have a civil debate on the Supreme Court nominee. That is going to 
happen based on what the President has done to this point.
  He met with me in a one-on-one meeting prior to the resignation of 
Sandra Day O'Connor. He called me the day she resigned. There was a 
meeting this past Monday in the White House with Senator Frist, this 
Senator, and the two leaders of our Judiciary Committee. I thought it 
was a very good meeting.
  What happens regarding a Supreme Court nominee is dependent on the 
President. From all the indications I have gotten, he does not want a 
big battle, nor do we. I am hopeful and confident that will be the 
case.
  However, I say directly to my friend from Kentucky, there is no 
reason we can't make the October 1 date if the President selects 
someone next week or the week after or the week after that. We can have 
the FBI working. We can have the Judiciary Committee staffs working. 
The first or second week in September, there can be hearings that last 
a week. Everyone can ask all the questions they want. Especially if it 
is a Supreme Court Justice who is one the President thinks, and he 
indicated he would allow us to--certainly I would like to conominate, 
but I know that is not our purpose in the Senate. He did indicate if 
there is someone who is deserving of a red flag for reasons that maybe 
he does not anticipate, we can maybe help in that regard.
  Keep in mind, Sandra Day O'Connor, being the brilliant woman she is, 
made her resignation effective upon appointment of her successor. It 
would be better if we had the new Supreme Court Justice when they begin 
their Court hearings in October. We are going to try to do everything 
we can to cooperate in that regard. If it does not happen, Sandra Day 
O'Connor will still be there. During this period of time, the summer 
months, she is still handling her circuit duties, doing everything she 
needs to do as a member of the Supreme Court. I admire her for not 
making the resignation effective upon the President receiving that 
letter. Everyone should cool the rhetoric and see what will happen. The 
ball is in the President's court.
  As has been indicated, a significant number of names were discussed 
with him. We did not discuss anyone with him in a negative tone. Every 
person we talked about with him was positive, some of whom he knew, 
some he knew personally.
  I am hopeful this will all work out for the good of the country. When 
I say ``good of the country,'' it would be better for everyone--the 
President included, the Democrats and Republicans in the Senate--that 
we did not have a protracted problem in the Senate regarding Sandra Day 
O'Connor's replacement. We would do her honor by having someone move 
into this position without a lot of problems.

                          ____________________