Cornyn's view

Source: Washington Times - Inside Politics by Greg Pierce January 5, 2005

Cornyn's view
"At every new year, Americans traditionally reflect on the past, identify problems that need fixing, and adopt New Year's resolutions," Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican, writes at National Review Online www.national review.com.
"In that same spirit, the Senate needs a New Year's resolution to fix its broken process for considering the president's judicial nominees. To do so, however, we must first recognize that liberal interest groups in Washington have prevented the Senate from confirming several of this president's judicial nominees for one simple reason: They just don't want judges who will just apply the law as written," Mr. Cornyn said.
"These liberal interest groups want judges who will redefine marriage and condemn the Boy Scouts, expel the military from college campuses and purge the public square of expressions of faith. They want courts to ignore the three-strikes-and-you're-out law and give lenient sentences to convicted criminals, block school-choice programs designed to expand educational opportunities to minority communities, and require better treatment for terrorists than for ordinary Americans accused of a crime. They want judicial activists who believe that our civil rights are violated anytime a public-school teacher recites the Pledge of Allegiance, a county clerk issues a wedding license only to the union of one man and one woman, a terrorist is denied access to cookware or athletic equipment, or a Boy Scout troop is allowed onto a military base.
"These groups want judges who will impose their agenda on the nation by judicial fiat — regardless of what the American people have said at the ballot box. And they will do anything to oppose judges who will not blindly rule in their favor.
"The commencement of a new Congress this week provides the perfect opportunity for senators to resolve to reform the judicial-confirmation process. An important first step in reform, however, is recognizing that these liberal interest groups have invented a series of double standards to defeat this president's judicial nominees. The Senate must resolve to reject these absurd double standards and restore fair and traditional standards in the coming year."