As the guardian of our rights, the Supreme Court makes decisions every year which either protect the individual or leave him at the mercy of more powerful forces in our society.

Over the course of more than 200 years, it has found a right to equal education regardless of race. It has guaranteed an attorney and a fair trial to all Americans, rich and poor alike. It has allowed women to keep private medical decisions private. And it has allowed Americans to speak, vote and worship without interference from their government.

Judicial excellence requires candor before confirmation. We are being asked to give the nominee enormous power.

We need to fight the plague of the uninsured the way we have fought other threats to our way of life and our basic values.

Judicial excellence requires an understanding that the law is more than an intellectual game and more than a mental exercise. He or she must recognize that real people with real problems are affected by the decisions rendered by the court. Justice, after all, may be blind, but it should not be deaf.

A nominee [to Supreme Court] must possess the competence, character and temperament to serve on the bench.

I will vote my hopes and not my fears