The people believed that while the courts would be independent, they would defer to the political branches on policy issues.

In recent years, even as the court has become an increasingly political body, the Senate is not focused on preserving any perceived ideological balance when Democrat presidents have appointed people to the court.

We must do everything we can to be more aggressive in confronting Syria about what they are doing in Iraq.

Seats on the [Court] bench are not reserved for causes or interests. They're given to those who will uphold the rule of law so long as the nominee is well-qualified to interpret and apply the law.

When Ruth Bader Ginsburg came in front of the Senate and was approved 96-3 to be on the Supreme Court to replace conservative justice Byron White. This is in 1993.Now, Justice Ginsburg, it was noted earlier, was a general counsel for the ACLU, certainly a liberal group. It was abundantly clear during the confirmation hearing that Ginsburg would swing the balance of the court to the left.But because President [Bill] Clinton won the election and because Justice Ginsburg clearly had the intellectual ability and integrity to serve on the court, she was confirmed.

I believe you [Samuel Alito] and others would look and say that the role of the courts is limited and it's not to decide political matters.

Everybody will say that they're not opposed to immigration; they're opposed to illegal immigration. That's what I'm saying.