Gina Raimondo on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Feb 3, 2021)
Rhode Island Supreme Court now multiracial, majority female

Antony Blinken on Supreme Court: (Crime Jan 29, 2021)
Ensure accountability for murderers of American journalist

Kamala Harris on Supreme Court: (Abortion Jan 12, 2021)
Are there any laws where government controls male bodies?

Kavanaugh tripped over his words: "I'm not aware, I'm not, thinking of any right now, Senator."

Merrick Garland on Supreme Court: (Crime Jan 8, 2021)
OpEd: deferential to police; lack of accountability

Merrick Garland on Supreme Court: (Crime Jan 8, 2021)
Critic: deferential to police, lack of accountability

Donald Trump on Supreme Court: (Principles & Values Dec 11, 2020)
Lost lawsuit in Supreme Court on overturning election

Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas indicated they would have allowed Texas to bring the case but said they would "not grant other relief." In a series of tweets after the ruling, Trump raged against the decision, which he called "a disgraceful miscarriage of justice."

[The Supreme Court declined to hear the case, filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, called "Texas v. Pennsylvania et al", despite an Amicus brief in favor from 126 members of Congress; see details of SCOTUS case]

Ted Cruz on Supreme Court: (Principles & Values Dec 11, 2020)
Pushed lawsuit to Supreme Court on overturning 2020 election

Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas indicated they would have allowed Texas to bring the case but said they would "not grant other relief." In a series of tweets after the ruling, Trump raged against the decision, which he called "a disgraceful miscarriage of justice."

[The Supreme Court declined to hear the case, filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, called "Texas v. Pennsylvania et al", despite an Amicus brief in favor from 126 members of Congress; see details of SCOTUS case]

Ted Cruz on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Dec 8, 2020)
Bring Supreme Court case against mail-in ballots

Amy Coney Barrett on Supreme Court: (Immigration Nov 30, 2020)
Counting undocumented is long-standing Census practice

Since the census started in 1790, its practice has been to count all people living in the U.S. Currently, an estimated 11 million unauthorized immigrants are living in this country. The point of counting everyone was raised by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who told the Acting Solicitor General who was representing the Trump administration: "A lot of the historical evidence and long-standing practice really cuts against your position."

Pope Francis on Supreme Court: (Immigration Nov 30, 2020)
Must count undocumented people in US Census

"The church's teaching is clear: Human dignity is most sacred, regardless of legal status," he said. The USCCB, along with other Catholic organizations, filed a friend-of-the-court brief in this case, arguing that excluding those without legal documentation from the apportionment base of the census sends a message that these individuals are not equal members of the human family, which contradicts the dignity of all people and violates the U.S. Constitution and the Census Act.

Since the census started in 1790, its practice has been to count all people living in the U.S. Currently, an estimated 11 million unauthorized immigrants are living in this country.

Joe Biden on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Oct 22, 2020)
Commission of experts to decide on expanding Supreme Court

PROMISE KEPT: (White House press release, 4/9/21): President Biden will issue an executive order forming the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court, comprised of a bipartisan group of experts on the Court and the Court reform debate. The Commission's purpose is to provide an analysis of Supreme Court reform, including an appraisal of the merits and legality of particular reform proposals, within 180 days of its first public meeting.

ANALYSIS: The proposed reform, which critics call "court packing," would be to add 4 Supreme Court seats, to change the current 6-3 conservative majority to a 7-6 liberal majority.

Donald Trump on Supreme Court: (Abortion Oct 15, 2020)
I won't influence how Justices vote on Roe v Wade

Joe Biden on Supreme Court: (Civil Rights Oct 15, 2020)
LGBT rights are in jeopardy from Supreme Court

BIDEN: I think there's great reason to be concerned for the LGBT community, something I fought very hard for, for a long time to make sure there's equality across the board.

Joe Biden on Supreme Court: (Health Care Oct 15, 2020)
Pre-existing conditions are in jeopardy from Supreme Court

BIDEN: I think that healthcare overall is very much in jeopardy as a consequence of the President's going to go directly after this election directly to the Supreme Court within a month to try to get ObamaCare wiped out after 10 million people have already lost their insurance from their employer and wants to take 20 million people out of the system as well, plus 100 million people with pre-existing conditions.

TRUMP: We got rid of the individual mandate on ObamaCare, and now you could actually say it's not ObamaCare because you had to pay a fortune for the privilege of not having to pay for bad health insurance, so we got rid of that. By the way, we're always protecting people with pre-existing conditions, and I can't say that more strongly. The problem with ObamaCare, it's not good. We'd like to terminate it, and we want a much less expensive healthcare that's a much better healthcare.

John Hickenlooper on Supreme Court: (Education Oct 10, 2020)
Opposes vouchers for private or religious schools

John Hickenlooper: No. Supports parents selecting the best schools, but "would not support the use of publicly funded vouchers for private or religious school education."

Corey Gardner: Yes. Filed a Supreme Court brief supporting the use of public funds to pay for educating children in private religious schools.

John Hickenlooper on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Oct 10, 2020)
Reinstate Voting Rights Act provisions struck down by Court

John Hickenlooper: No. Reinstate Voting Rights Act provisions struck down by the Supreme Court. Criticizes "discriminatory voter ID laws."

Corey Gardner: No position found.

John Hickenlooper on Supreme Court: (Jobs Oct 10, 2020)
Reverse ruling government workers needn't pay union dues

John Hickenlooper: No. Called for legislation reversing Supreme Court ruling that government workers can't be forced to contribute to labor unions.

Corey Gardner: Yes. Co-sponsored the National Right to Work Act, repealing bargaining provisions requiring union membership as a condition of employment.

Kamala Harris on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Oct 7, 2020)
Lincoln, before 1864 election, left Supreme Court seat open

HARRIS: In 1864, Lincoln was up for reelection and it was 27 days before the election. And a seat became open on the United States Supreme Court. Abe said, "The people deserve to make the decision about who will be the next president of the United States. And then that person can select who will serve for a lifetime on the highest court of our land." Joe and I are very clear: the American people are voting right now and it should be their decision about who will serve on this most important body for a lifetime.

Mike Pence on Supreme Court: (Principles & Values Oct 7, 2020)
Not fair to attack Amy Coney Barrett's faith

HARRIS: Joe Biden and I are people of faith, and it's insulting to suggest that we would knock anyone for their faith, and in fact, Joe, if elected, will be only the second practicing Catholic as President of the United States.

Mike Pence on Supreme Court: (Principles & Values Oct 7, 2020)
In America, we debate and disagree, but then come together

Donald Trump on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Sep 29, 2020)
Obama left 128 openings for judges; I appointed 300

Joe Biden on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Sep 29, 2020)
Americans express their view by who they elect president

BIDEN: The American people have a right to have a say in who the Supreme Court nominee is, and that say occurs when they vote for United States Senators and when they vote for the President of United States. They're not going to get that chance now [with Amy Coney Barrett nominated last week] because we're in the middle of an election already. The election has already started. Tens of thousands of people already voted and so the thing that should happen is we should wait. We should wait and see what the outcome of this election is because that's the only way the American people get to express their view is by who they elect as President and who they elect as Vice President.

Donald Trump on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Sep 29, 2020)
Elections have consequences; I'm elected for four years

BIDEN: The American people have a right to have a say in who the Supreme Court nominee is and that say occurs when they vote for United States Senators and when they vote for the President of United States. They're not going to get that chance now because we're in the middle of an election already. The election has already started.

Donald Trump on Supreme Court: (Health Care Sep 29, 2020)
My healthcare plan: we got rid of the individual mandate

TRUMP: That's right, because they want to give good healthcare

Q: Over the last four years, you have promised to repeal and replace ObamaCare, but you have never come up with a comprehensive plan to replace ObamaCare.

TRUMP: Yes, I have. Of course I have. I got rid of the individual mandate, which was a big chunk of ObamaCare.

Q: That's not a comprehensive place.

TRUMP: That is absolutely a big thing. That was the worst part of ObamaCare. The individual mandate was the most unpopular aspect of ObamaCare. I got rid of it. And we will protect people. We guaranteed pre-existing conditions, but took away the individual mandate.

BIDEN: He has no plan for healthcare.

TRUMP: Of course we do.

BIDEN: He has none, like almost everything else he talks about. He does not have a plan.

Amy Coney Barrett on Supreme Court: (Principles & Values Sep 27, 2020)
Judicial philosophy: apply the law as written

TRUMP: She is a woman of unparalleled achievement, towering intellect, sterling credentials and unyielding loyalty to the Constitution.

Q: Barrett, a favorite of the conservative establishment, is a practicing Catholic, graduate of Notre Dame, and former clerk for the late Justice Antonin Scalia.

JUDGE AMY CONEY BARRETT: His judicial philosophy is mine too. A judge must apply the law as written.

Mike Pence on Supreme Court: (Abortion Sep 22, 2020)
Roe v. Wade worst Supreme Court decision since Dred Scott

"Pence also touted his policies on abortion, bringing up the legislation he signed in 2013 that banned insurance coverage for most abortion procedures. 'Life is winning in Indiana, because of the efforts of all of you,' Pence said. 'Life is winning in this state - I truly believe - because compassion is overcoming convenience. Life is defeating despair.'" [Indianapolis Star, 9/19/14]

"Pence also backs a constitutional amendment to ban abortion, saying he is against the procedure in all cases --including rape and incest -- except when the life of the mother is at stake." [Washington Post, 3/22/05]

Mike Pence on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Sep 22, 2020)
Citizens United ruling victory for First Amendment

[As a US.Rep.], Pence introduced H.R. 1316, which would have "amended the Federal Election Campaign Act to repeal the limit on the aggregate amount of campaign contributions that may be made by individuals during an election cycle, to repeal the limit on the amount of expenditures political parties may make on behalf of their candidates in general elections for federal office." The bill was never considered by the full House. [CRS via Congressional Quarterly, 7/13/05]

Ted Cruz on Supreme Court: (Principles & Values Sep 20, 2020)
Rejected Trump offer of Supreme Court appointment

That may seem surprising to some folks. But it was not the first time I had passed on the judiciary. When I was Texas Solicitor General a decade earlier, the Bush administration had inquired if I was interested in the Fifth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals . I told them I was flattered by the interest, but I didn't want to be a judge.

Though I hold the judges in the highest esteem, there is a simple reason why I don't want to be a judge: principled judges stay out of policy and political fights. If I were a judge that's exactly what I'd do; I would follow the law no matter what. But I don't want to stay out of policy and political fights.

Ted Cruz on Supreme Court: (Principles & Values Sep 20, 2020)
Republican judges who change shift to the left

Kamala Harris on Supreme Court: (Abortion Jul 28, 2020)
A staunch supporter of legal protection for abortion

John Hickenlooper on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Jul 9, 2020)
Overturn Citizens United

Steve Bullock on Supreme Court: (Corporations Jul 6, 2020)
Defended state limit on corporate campaign donations

Steve Bullock on Supreme Court: (Education Jun 30, 2020)
No tax credits for religious schools

Donald Trump on Supreme Court: (Immigration Jun 18, 2020)
DACA phase-out legally correct but politically controversial

Federal courts said the administration had acted arbitrarily when phasing out the program. The 5-4 ruling emphasized that the administration failed to provide an adequate reason to justify ending the DACA program.

After the ruling was handed down, Trump retweeted a tweet featuring Justice Clarence Thomas' dissent. The decision is "an effort to avoid a politically controversial but legally correct decision," Thomas wrote. Thomas argued in his dissent that "the majority makes the mystifying determination that this rescission of DACA was unlawful. On the contrary, this is anything but a standard administrative law case."

Joe Biden on Supreme Court: (Immigration Jun 18, 2020)
Make DACA permanent; much work remains to be done

Federal courts said the administration had acted arbitrarily when phasing out the program. The courts pointed to the administration's thin justification--reasoning Roberts and the Supreme Court eventually agreed with.

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden also celebrated the ruling, calling it a "victory" and again saying that if elected, he will work "immediately" on legislation that would make the program permanent. "The joy of today's victory does not erase the difficult road ahead," Biden said in a statement. "We know that much work remains to be done."

Barack Obama on Supreme Court: (Immigration Jun 18, 2020)
DACA recipients make America's shared ideals

Federal courts said the administration had acted arbitrarily when phasing out the program. The courts pointed to the administration's thin justification--reasoning Roberts and the Supreme Court eventually agreed with.

Former President Barack Obama weighed in on the decision on Twitter, writing of DACA recipients: "Today, I'm happy for them, their families, and all of us. We may look different and come from everywhere, but what makes us American are our shared ideals," Obama wrote, noting the program was created eight years ago this week.

Donald Trump on Supreme Court: (Civil Rights Jun 15, 2020)
Job discrimination rules don't apply to transgender status

By a vote of 6-3, the court said Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which makes it illegal for employers to discriminate because of a person's sex, among other factors, also covers sexual orientation and transgender status.

The Trump administration had urged the court to rule that Title VII does not cover cases like these, in a reversal from the position the government took during the Obama administration. "The ordinary meaning of 'sex' is biologically male or female; it does not include sexual orientation," the Justice Department said. "An employer who discriminates against employees in same-sex relationships thus does not violate Title VII as long as it treats men in same-sex relationships the same as women in same-sex relationships."

Joe Biden on Supreme Court: (Civil Rights Jun 15, 2020)
No job discrimination for transgender status

By a vote of 6-3, the court said Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which makes it illegal for employers to discriminate because of a person's sex, among other factors, also covers sexual orientation and transgender status.

Joe Biden called the ruling "a momentous step forward for our country" in a statement, adding that the court had "confirmed the simple but profoundly American idea that every human being should be treated with respect and dignity, that everyone should be able to live openly, proudly, as their true selves without fear."

The Trump administration had urged the court to rule that Title VII does not cover cases like these, in a reversal from the position the government took during the Obama administration.

Joe Biden on Supreme Court: (Government Reform May 5, 2020)
Commit to appointing a Black woman to the Supreme Court

Al Sharpton noted, "I urge Biden to fulfill his commitment to appointing a Black woman to the Supreme Court as well as to prioritize diversity of experience and thought in his administration. The Black community knows that it is essential for a person of color to have the ear of the president."

The President and CEO of the National Urban League raised the issue of voter protection and voter suppression. "A no-excuse vote-by-mail program with prepaid postage and expanded early voting would go a long way toward expanding access to the ballot and ensuring that the pandemic is not used as an excuse to trample vulnerable Americans' right to vote," he said.

Joe Biden on Supreme Court: (Principles & Values Mar 15, 2020)
I commit to nominating a woman as my Vice President

Joe Biden: Number one, I commit it that if I'm elected President and have an opportunity to appoint someone, I'll appoint the first black woman to the Supreme Court. It's required that they have representation; now it's long overdue. Secondly, my Cabinet & my administration will look like the country. And I commit that I'll pick a woman to be Vice President. There are a number of women who are qualified to be President tomorrow, I would pick a woman to be my Vice President.

Q: Mr. Vice President, just to be clear, you just committed here tonight that your running mate, if you get the nomination will be a woman?

Joe Biden: Yes.

Q: Senator Sanders, will you make that same statement, committ to picking a woman as your running mate?

Bernie Sanders: In all likelihood, I will. For me, it's not just nominating a woman. It is making sure that we have a progressive woman.

Bernie Sanders on Supreme Court: (Abortion Feb 7, 2020)
Appoint only justices who support Roe & Planned Parenthood

Joe Biden on Supreme Court: (Abortion Feb 7, 2020)
Has guarded right to choose for years with SCOTUS votes

Pete Buttigieg on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Feb 7, 2020)
End political battlefield of Supreme Court nominations

Donald Trump on Supreme Court: (Principles & Values Jan 21, 2020)
OpEd: Human hand grenade: razed and remade Washington

Julian Castro on Supreme Court: (Abortion Oct 15, 2019)
Codify Roe v. Wade, repeal Hyde Amendment

V.P. Joe BIDEN: I would not pack the Court. What I would do is make sure that the people that I recommended for the Court [would] support the right of privacy.

Mayor Pete BUTTIGIEG: I'm not talking about packing the Court just with people who agree with me. What I'm talking about is reforms that will depoliticize the Court.

CASTRO: I wouldn't pack the Court. The might be to look at term limits or having people cycle off from the appellate courts. So that you would have a replenishment of perspective. I would also make sure that I appoint, as president, people who respect the precedent of Roe v. Wade. That we codify Roe v. Wade. That we do away with things like the Hyde Amendment because you shouldn't only be able to have reproductive freedom if you have money. We have to concern ourselves not only with reproductive freedom but also reproductiv

Pete Buttigieg on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Oct 15, 2019)
Expand but depoliticize Supreme Court

V.P. Joe BIDEN: I would not pack the Court. What I would do is make sure that the people that I recommended for the Court, from Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Elena Kagan support the right of privacy on which the entire notion of a woman's right to choose is based.

BUTTIGIEG: I'm not talking about packing the Court just with people who agree with me. What I'm talking about is will depoliticize the Court. I'm not wedded to a particular solution but I am committed to establishing a commission on day one that will propose reforms to depoliticize the Supreme Court because we can't go on like this.

Mayor Julian CASTRO: I wouldn't pack the Court. The smarter move might be to look at term limits or having people cycle off from the appellate courts. So that you would have a replenishment of perspective.

Joe Biden on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Oct 15, 2019)
Don't pack the Supreme Court

BIDEN: Reproductive rights are a constitutional right. In fact every woman should have that right. I would not pack the Court. What I would do is make sure that the people that I recommended for the Court, from Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Elena Kagan support the right of privacy on which the entire notion of a woman's right to choose is based.

Pete Buttigieg on Supreme Court: (Civil Rights Oct 10, 2019)
An Equality Act will fight discrimination on many fronts

BUTTIGIEG: Even if the Supreme Court upholds the idea that the Civil Rights Act applies to discrimination against, for example, same-sex couples in the workplace, we've still got a long way to go when it comes to other forms of discrimination, for housing, public accommodation. That is why we urgently need an Equality Act. I will fight for that, and I will sign it the moment that it hits my desk.

Cory Booker on Supreme Court: (Civil Rights Oct 10, 2019)
Always fights for LGBTQ and will pass Equality Act

BOOKER: I have spent my life working on LGBTQ issues. I am one of the lead original sponsors of the Equality Act. All of us swear an oath that we'll be a nation of liberty and justice for all. Those are aspirational words until every LGBTQ American has equal rights and I will get the Equality Act passed in our country.

Pete Buttigieg on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Jul 30, 2019)
We need structural reform; we can reform our democracy

Pete Buttigieg on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Jul 11, 2019)
Amendments among "most elegant features" of Constitution

Tom Steyer on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Jul 9, 2019)
Opposes Citizens United decision

Tom Steyer on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Jul 9, 2019)
Opposes Citizens United ruling on corporate donations

In October 2017, Steyer invested $10 million in a television ad campaign calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump.

Steve Bullock on Supreme Court: (Drugs Jul 2, 2019)
Strongly supports medical marijuana

• Signed a bill to regulate Montana's medical cannabis industry. (2017)
• Opposed a Montana Supreme Court ruling that upheld strict regulations of the state's medical marijuana industry, saying, "I am concerned about the ability of thousands of patients with serious medical conditions to access a treatment that has been approved by their doctors." (2016)

Bernie Sanders on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Jun 29, 2019)
Rotate judges on Supreme Court, like term limits

They came closest to tackling the issue in an exchange about Roe v. Wade and what the candidates would do to protect abortion rights if it were overturned. Sanders replied by saying he opposed adding additional justices to the bench, a solution several other candidates have proposed. "I do not believe in packing the court," Sanders said. But "I do believe that constitutionally we have the ability to rotate judges to other courts."

At a forum in April, Sanders offered up a similar proposal. "What may make sense is, if not term limits, then rotating judges to the appeals court as well. Letting them get out of the Supreme Court and bringing in new blood." The proposal is constitutionally dubious and might require an amendment, but it's not without merit if it gets rid of corrosive confirmation battles.

Pete Buttigieg on Supreme Court: (Principles & Values Jun 27, 2019)
Politics is not theoretical; our generation must deliver

Steve Bullock on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Jun 18, 2019)
Elevate the issue of campaign finance

Q: Are you open to expanding the size of the Supreme Court?

A: "I'm open to trying to say, how can we actually make sure that that court isn't reflective of politics?"

Beto O`Rourke on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Jun 5, 2019)
Term limits for Congress and the Supreme Court

Pete Buttigieg on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Jun 3, 2019)
Change the way Supreme Court nominees are picked

Kirsten Gillibrand on Supreme Court: (Abortion Jun 2, 2019)
Abortion is the human right to bodily autonomy

Ms. Gillibrand, long a prominent advocate for issues affecting women, has placed herself at the forefront of the debate, hoping that some primary voters may factor the new measures into their decisions. "Why should male legislators across this country decide when you are having children, how many and under what circumstances?" she asked Sunday, her voice rising. "I don't understand it. It's a human right. It's about having bodily autonomy. It's about being able to control your physical self."

She did not specifically address third-trimester abortions (which account for less than 1.5% of abortions), even when the audience member asked a second time.

Steve Bullock on Supreme Court: (Abortion May 19, 2019)
Women should decide, not government

A: I think that the Supreme Court settled this 45 years ago. And it's not my decision to be making what the decision that a woman needs to make, in consultation with her doctor and her family and her faith, if she so chooses. I would say that life begins at viability. But it's not up to people like me to be making these decisions. It's what does an individual woman need to do with her body and with her health care? Those aren't decisions that I should be making.

Bernie Sanders on Supreme Court: (Abortion May 19, 2019)
No anti-choice appointments to Supreme Court

Steve Bullock on Supreme Court: (Government Reform May 15, 2019)
Overturn Citizens United; ban SuperPACs

Pete Buttigieg on Supreme Court: (Government Reform May 6, 2019)
Citizens United was a disaster for our democracy

He says dollars have begun to out weigh people. He personally has returned money from Washington lobbyists and has sworn off taking money from the fossil fuel industry or certain political action committees. "Citizens United was a disaster for our democracy," he told CSPAN2.

Donald Trump on Supreme Court: (Principles & Values Apr 24, 2019)
If Congress tries to impeach, I'll go to the Supreme Court

"I DID NOTHING WRONG," Trump said. "If the partisan Dems ever tried to Impeach, I would first head to the U.S. Supreme Court."

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in 1993 that authority for impeachment trials resides in Congress and "nowhere else." The power of impeachment belongs to Congress and proceedings must be launched in the House, according to the U.S. Constitution. If representatives vote to impeach, the case is tried in the Senate.

Julian Castro on Supreme Court: (Civil Rights Mar 26, 2019)
As mayor, banned discrimination against sexual orientation

In 2013, when the Supreme Court struck down an anti-same-sex marriage law, he prompted his state to follow suit.

"Ending the official bigotry that Texas sanctions is both the right thing to do, and it is also good for business," he said at the time.

As HUD secretary, Castro prioritized helping homeless LGBTQ youth and attempted to dismantle LGBTQ housing discrimination.

"Every American should have access to decent, affordable housing," Castro said. "It's a tragedy that so many LGBTQ youth are being mistreated simply because of who they are, making them particularly vulnerable to homelessness."

Wayne Messam on Supreme Court: (Civil Rights Mar 26, 2019)
Silent about his stance on LGBTQ rights

Additionally, The Daily Beast reached out to the 2020 candidates to ask them about their views on the Supreme Court taking up cases around LGBTQ discrimination. Messam could not be reached for comment.

His biography also does not mention LGBTQ rights anywhere.

Pete Buttigieg on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Mar 19, 2019)
Need to depoliticize Supreme Court

Beto O`Rourke on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Mar 15, 2019)
Increase Supreme Court to 15 independent Justices

That kind of public deliberation is exactly what many supporters like about his approach to policy. They say O'Rourke, instead of being confined by ideology, is open-minded and flexible, wanting to hear the evidence before making up his mind. "There's no sense in campaigning if you already know every single answer," O'Rourke said.

Howard Schultz on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Mar 13, 2019)
Reduce partisanship with 2/3 vote for Court nominations

In fact, I challenge every single candidate running for president, from both parties, to make the same commitment, right now, that I'm making. Regarding two-thirds, and to honor that.

Pete Buttigieg on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Mar 10, 2019)
Make Supreme Court appointments less partisan

Bernie Sanders on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Feb 19, 2019)
Require disclosure of campaign expenditures over $10,000

Donald Trump on Supreme Court: (Homeland Security Feb 19, 2019)
Ban on transgender people serving openly in the US military

Pete Buttigieg on Supreme Court: (Corporations Feb 12, 2019)
Companies are not persons; should not have religious rights

Effectively this meant that any place of business, from a restaurant to an auto shop, could refuse an LGBT individual or couple, provided its owner cited religion as the motivation for discriminating. It could even be interpreted to protect a physician denying care to a gay patient. And it would wipe out South Bend's own local ordinance, passed in 2012, which prohibited workplace discrimination against LGBT residents. Despite the name, its purpose was not to "restore" religious freedom--after all, religious freedom is already guaranteed in the Constitution. The bill's actual purpose, its sponsors would later reveal, was to legalize discrimination.

Pete Buttigieg on Supreme Court: (Jobs Feb 12, 2019)
2009 auto bailout was worthwhile; it saved jobs and pensions

But I wonder, sometimes, whether Mourdock talked to any of the families whose livelihoods could have been wrecked by his legal adventure. Did he think about the stakes for them, or was it just numbers on a page to him?

To Mourdock, it seems, the most important issue at stake in the auto rescue was that investors on the bond market would have to take a haircut. To the rest of us, the most important issue was that families lives could be ruined by the same kind of economic disaster that had nearly killed my hometown half a century earlier.

To me, the whole episode was about what happens when a public official becomes obsessed with ideology.

Cory Booker on Supreme Court: (Homeland Security Feb 1, 2019)
Transgender troops should be allowed to serve

• In the Senate, Booker pushed for marriage equality and cheered the 2015 Supreme Court decision making same-sex marriage legal nationwide.
• As mayor of Newark, he refused to officiate any weddings until same-sex marriage was legal; in his final weeks as mayor, he married seven LGBT couples once the state legalized it.
• One of the first bills Booker co-sponsored in the Senate was the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which prohibited workplace discrimination because of sexual orientation or gender identity.
• Booker has said his support for the LGBT community has evolved over time.
• In a column he wrote for Stanford University's newspaper in 1992, Booker said that he once "hated gays."
• Booker has also said the president's plan to ban transgender people from serving in the military "undermines our national security."

Stacey Abrams on Supreme Court: (Civil Rights Jan 31, 2019)
Upholding military transgender ban is an abomination

ABRAMS: I think it's an abomination. These are men and women who have protected our country for the last few years, since President Obama opened up the military. What the conservative bloc of the Supreme Court has done is said that they are willing to put us in harm's way to suborn discrimination and bigotry coming from the White House. There is no rational purpose for this. There is no rational need.

Bill de Blasio on Supreme Court: (Abortion Jan 22, 2019)
Crucial to protect women's right to choose in 2019

The bill was first introduced back in 2007 and removes abortion from the state criminal code and ensures women the right to an abortion in New York should that federal right ever be changed by the Supreme Court. For years, the law would pass the Assembly but fail in the Republican-controlled Senate. That all changed last fall when voters put Democrats firmly in charge in Albany.

"I support this act. It's crucial that we protect a woman's right to choose, particularly at this moment in history, when women's rights are under attack," NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

Bill de Blasio on Supreme Court: (Gun Control Jan 22, 2019)
Gun laws are necessary to protect the city and ourselves

Kirsten Gillibrand on Supreme Court: (Abortion Jan 16, 2019)
Fewer limits on abortion; no 20-week ban

• Social issues: Expand abortion access.
• Gillibrand supports abortion rights, including placing fewer limits on, and expanding access to, abortion.
• She vocally opposed the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, arguing that he could help overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion.
• She also voted against a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Kirsten Gillibrand on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Jan 16, 2019)
Overturn Citizens United; refuse corporate PAC donations

• Campaign finance: Overturn Citizens United. Refuse corporate PAC donations.
• Gillibrand would reverse the Citizens United Supreme Court decision that allowed for nearly unlimited campaign contributions from corporate and non-profit organizations.
• She supports a constitutional amendment to change the law.
• The New York senator is also among several prominent Democrats who have pledged to not accept donations from corporate Political Action Committees, or PACs.

Bernie Sanders on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Nov 27, 2018)
Mainstream media focuses on gossip, lies, & personality

The internet and social media now allow for the worldwide transmission of total lies, and the capability of targeting those lies to susceptible populations.

Further, recent studies show what the average American has long known. More and more mainstream media political coverage is devoted to gossip and issues of personality, and less and less to the major problems facing our country and the world. During the last presidential campaign, for example, there was almost no discussion devoted to climate change, the greatest environmental crisis facing our planet. There was hardly a mention that in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, 40 million Americans live in poverty, or that we have the highest rate of childhood poverty of nearly any major country.

Ron DeSantis on Supreme Court: (Abortion Oct 9, 2018)
Ban abortions after fetal heartbeat detected

Ron DeSantis (R): Ban. Pledges to sign legislation banning abortions after fetal heartbeat detected (roughly 6 weeks) & to appoint constitutionalist justices to FL Supreme Court who will "protect & defend life."

Andrew Gillum (D): Legal. Abortion is a woman's unrestricted right and decision should be made by women & their doctors--not by politicians. Opposes making healthcare harder for women to access.

Q: Allow employers to withhold contraceptive coverage from employees if disagree with it morally?

DeSantis: Yes. Employers should not be required to "pay for abortifacients in violation of their faith."

Gillum: No. Proposes a law to protect women's access to no-cost contraceptive care under ObamaCare.

Q: Let Planned Parenthood receive public funds for non-abortion healthcare?

DeSantis: No. Voted for a bill to end funding.

Gillum: Yes. Challenged Rick Scott effort to defund Planned Parenthood.

Steve Bullock on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Sep 29, 2018)
Unlimited corporate spending has impacted our elections

And that's why he tries to establish the stakes of that political spending as a central concern to the future of democracy: "If we wanna address all the other big issues in our electoral system, in our political system, if we really want to address income inequality, if we want to address health care," he continues, "you're not gonna be able to do it unless you also address the way money is affecting our system." This, above all else, is the Bullock pitch: You wanna do all this progressive work? None of it can happen until we excise the very root of the blockage.

Steve Bullock on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Sep 29, 2018)
Signed the Montana Disclose Act into law

Merrick Garland on Supreme Court: (Principles & Values Sep 6, 2018)
Praised by Brett Kavanaugh: "He's been a role model to me"

When President Obama nominated Garland to the high court, Judge Kavanaugh described his colleague as "supremely qualified by the objective characteristics of experience, temperament, writing ability, scholarly ability for the Supreme Court . He has been a role model to me in how he goes about his job."

Donald Trump on Supreme Court: (Education Aug 30, 2018)
Skeptical of use of affirmative action in college admissions

The action demonstrated anew the administration's deep skepticism of affirmative action in education. Under President Barack Obama, the Justice Department had made legal arguments in support of how colleges use race in admissions.

The Justice Department concluded: that Harvard has failed to explain exactly how it weighs race against other factors in an application; that Harvard uses a "personal rating" that may be biased against Asian Americans; and that "substantial evidence" indicates admissions officers monitor and manipulate the racial makeup of incoming classes, despite court rulings that have found "racial balancing" unconstitutional.

Donald Trump on Supreme Court: (Gun Control Mar 28, 2018)
Remove weapons from dangerous individuals, not all Americans

Trump tweeted, "THE SECOND AMENDMENT WILL NEVER BE REPEALED! As much as Democrats would like to see this happen, and despite the words yesterday of former Supreme Court Justice Stevens, NO WAY. We need more Republicans in 2018 and must ALWAYS hold the Supreme Court!"

When asked if Trump had a reaction to Stevens' call for repeal, Trump's press secretary said, "We think that the focus has to remain on removing weapons from dangerous individuals, not on blocking all Americans from their constitutional rights."

John Kasich on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Mar 26, 2018)
Supreme Court should disallow partisan gerrymandering

Maryland's Republican governor, Larry Hogan, joined current Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, both Republicans, in an amicus brief that essentially pleads with the Supreme Court to take actions because politicians are unable to stop themselves from drawing crooked lines.

The plaintiffs in Benisek are making a First Amendment argument, asking the justices to find that using past voting data to sort people into districts their side is unlikely to win penalizes them for participation in the political process.

[The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on June 18 to leave the district lines untouched].

John Kasich on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Mar 26, 2018)
Supreme Court should disallow partisan gerrymandering

Maryland's Republican governor, Larry Hogan, joined current Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, both Republicans, in an amicus brief that essentially pleads with the Supreme Court to take actions because the politicians are unable to stop themselves from drawing crooked lines.

The plaintiffs in Benisek are making a First Amendment argument, asking the justices to find that using past voting data to sort people into districts their side is unlikely to win penalizes them for participation in the political process.

[The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on June 18 to leave the district lines untouched].

John Kasich on Supreme Court: (Crime Mar 7, 2018)
Rehab, not prison, for low-level offenders

Tom Steyer on Supreme Court: (Families & Children Feb 26, 2018)
Republicans have traded their family values for power

Kamala Harris on Supreme Court: (Health Care Aug 10, 2017)
Require pharmaceutical companies to allow generics

Donald Trump on Supreme Court: (Foreign Policy Feb 28, 2017)
Unbreakable alliance with the state of Israel

Finally, I have kept my promise to appoint a Justice to the United States Supreme Court--from my list of 20 judges--who will defend our Constitution. I am honored to have Maureen Scalia with us in the gallery tonight. Her late, great husband, Antonin Scalia, will forever be a symbol of American justice. To fill his seat, we have chosen Judge Neil Gorsuch, a man of incredible skill, and deep devotion to the law. He was confirmed unanimously to the Court of Appeals, and I am asking the Senate to swiftly approve his nomination.

John Kasich on Supreme Court: (Abortion Dec 13, 2016)
Require abortion clinics to have nearby hospital & doctor

In Ohio, Gov. John Kasich signed a bill imposing a 20-week abortion ban based on the assertion that fetuses can feel pain then, which opponents characterize as scientifically unsound. Kasich vetoed stricter provisions in a so-called heartbeat bill that would have prohibited most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can be as early as six weeks into pregnancy, noting that the heartbeat provision would have been struck down.

Hillary Clinton on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Oct 19, 2016)
We need Supreme Court to stand up to the powerful

Donald Trump on Supreme Court: (Gun Control Oct 19, 2016)
We need Supreme Court to stand up for the 2nd Amendment

I don't think we should have justices appointed that decide what they want to hear. It's all about the Constitution the way it was meant to be. And those are the people that I will appoint.

Hillary Clinton on Supreme Court: (Abortion Oct 9, 2016)
Appoint Supreme Court judges who will uphold Roe v Wade

A: I want to appoint justices who understand the way the world really works, who have real-life experience, who actually understand what people are up against. I would want to see the Supreme Court reverse Citizens United and get dark, unaccountable money out of our politics. I would like the Supreme Court to understand that voting rights are still a big problem in many parts of our country, that we don't always do everything we can to make it possible for people of color and older people and young people to be able to exercise their franchise. I want a Supreme Court that will stick with Roe v. Wade and a woman's right to choose, and I want a Supreme Court that will stick with marriage equality, that doesn't always side with corporate interests, that understands because you're wealthy and you can give more money to something doesn't mean you have any more rights or should have any more rights than anybody else.

Michael Bennet on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Oct 9, 2016)
Federal review voting of discriminatory state voting changes

Bennet: Yes

Glenn: No visible stand.

Q: On Campaign Finance: Support Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, which allows unlimited independent political expenditures by corporations and unions?

Bennet: No. Wants to overturn.

Glenn: No visible stand, but likely yes. Supports unlimited contributions by individuals.

Q: On Voting Rights: Support stricter voting rules such as voter ID requirements or reduced registration times, even if they prevent some people from voting?

Bennet: No. Co-sponsored Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore federal oversight of voting laws. Co-sponsored Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore federal courts' ability to review voting changes made at the state and local level and monitor for discriminatory practices.

Glenn: Unknown

Donald Trump on Supreme Court: (Gun Control Oct 9, 2016)
Appoint Supreme Court judges who respect 2nd amendment

TRUMP: People that will respect the US Constitution. Also, the Second Amendment, which is totally under siege by people like Clinton. They'll respect the Second Amendment and what it stands for, what it represents.

CLINTON: I respect the Second Amendment. But I believe there should be comprehensive background checks, and we should close the gun show loophole, and close the online loophole.

Hillary Clinton on Supreme Court: (Gun Control Oct 9, 2016)
Respect 2nd amendment but close loopholes

TRUMP: People that will respect the US Constitution. Also, the Second Amendment, which is totally under siege by people like Clinton. They'll respect the Second Amendment and what it stands for, what it represents.

CLINTON: I respect the Second Amendment. But I believe there should be comprehensive background checks, and we should close the gun show loophole, and close the online loophole.

Mike Pence on Supreme Court: (Abortion Jul 20, 2016)
Need Supreme Court justices who uphold Constitution

Bill Weld on Supreme Court: (Civil Rights Jun 22, 2016)
I led Massachusetts on gay rights, and MA led America

WELD: In office, in my case, even though I was then a Republican and not a Libertarian, I was way out there by myself on gay and lesbian rights, starting my first month in office, in January 1991. And for 10 years, no one followed suit. I appointed the woman who wrote the decision holding equality of marriage as constitutionally compelled, which led to the Supreme Court case holding that.

Amy Klobuchar on Supreme Court: (Gun Control Jun 12, 2016)
Sensible reforms like enhanced background checks

KLOBUCHAR: I believe in the Second Amendment and I believe Hillary Clinton does as well. But what she's been talking about here is simply something that the vast majority of the American people believe in, and that is some background checks--which the Supreme Court has left open in its gun decision--that you could have more enhanced background checks. The idea that you shouldn't have stalkers be able to go out and get a gun, I think would [provide] vast hope in saving lives, including the fact that people on the terror watch list can still get guns. Those are some sensible reforms.

Donald Trump on Supreme Court: (Government Reform May 31, 2016)
Proud to work with McConnell to appoint conservative judges

The effort to transform the courts is one that will benefit the American people far into the future. It is a legacy I am immensely proud and one for which Mitch McConnell deserves great credit. Confirming judges has been a key part of making the past two and a half years one of the most productive and conservative periods in our nation's history.

Bill Weld on Supreme Court: (Gun Control May 21, 2016)
2nd Amendment right s are individual rights

Merrick Garland on Supreme Court: (Abortion Mar 16, 2016)
Record on abortion rights entirely blank

That's because the DC Circuit, where Garland has served for the past 19 years, almost never ends up on the frontlines of the culture wars; cases involving abortion or gay marriage rarely appear on its docket, which is heavily weighted with regulatory issues. And as someone who spent most of his pre-judicial career as a federal prosecutor, Garland hasn't had many opportunities to weigh in on Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. Despite having gone through the judicial confirmation process once before, his record on the subject appears to be almost entirely blank.

Ted Cruz on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Mar 15, 2016)
Authored 70 Supreme Court briefs & argued 9 cases

Stood for Americans' First Amendment rights against Democrats who sought to repeal our free speech rights.
• Defended Hobby Lobby against Obamacare's contraception mandate.
• Fought and won a landmark victory at the Supreme Court in Medellin v. Texas; protected US sovereignty against 90 foreign nations and the president to ensure the US is not subject to rulings of the "World Court."
• Led the way to preserve the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance.
• Successfully defended the constitutionality of the Texas Ten Commandments monument, winning a 5-4 landmark decision.
• Successfully defended the Texas schools' moment of silence law in federal district court.
• Galvanized national support for Houston pastors who had been subpoenaed by the City of Houston and forced to turn in their sermons.

Bernie Sanders on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Mar 9, 2016)
It's oligarchy when billionaires buy elections

Billionaires and Wall Street should not be buying elections. We've got to end this rigged economy where people are working longer hours for low wages, almost all new income and wealth going to the top 1 percent, and of course, we need comprehensive immigration reform and a path toward citizenship.

We know that we have got to combat climate change, transform our energy system, and leave this planet in a way that is healthy and habitable for our kids and our grandchildren.

Is it acceptable that Wall Street and billionaires are spending hundreds of millions of dollars trying to buy elections? Is that democracy or this that oligarchy? Which is why I believe we've got to overturn Citizens United and move to public funding of elections.

John Kasich on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Feb 25, 2016)
My judicial appointments are solid conservatives

Donald Trump on Supreme Court: (Health Care Feb 25, 2016)
Chief Justice Roberts: a disaster who gave us ObamaCare

Donald Trump on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Feb 18, 2016)
I wouldn't nominate my sister to Supreme Court

Q: Have you suggested your sister as a Supreme Court justice?

TRUMP: I have not.

Q: You said she would be great...

TRUMP: She's very smart.

Q: But you'd have to rule that out because she was your sister?

TRUMP: My sister is a brilliant woman. She was appointed by Ronald Reagan. He said appointed by Bill Clinton. She was elevated by Clinton to the Court of Appeals, a very high position, right under the Supreme Court. The reason she was elevated, she was an outstanding intellect and an outstanding judge. I don't even know what her views are on abortion. She is certainly not a radical anything; that's not her thing

Hillary Clinton on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Feb 18, 2016)
Senate duty to vote on Supreme Court nominees

CLINTON: I did oppose Justice Alito and Chief Justice Roberts, because after listening to them, I did not believe that their judicial philosophy and approach was one that would be the best for the country. But we had a process; the nomination was made, and we went through the process. What the Republicans today are saying is "We don't want the president to send us a nominee." That is very different.

Q: But with the filibuster, if you had been successful, then Judge Alito would not have gotten a vote on the floor of the Senate.

CLINTON: That's the way the Senate operates. You get to have a vote. You get to use the rules. The president is trying to talk some sense into the Senate Republicans to actually do their constitutional duty.

Donald Trump on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Feb 13, 2016)
Delay, delay, delay on Supreme Court appointment

TRUMP: If I were President now I would certainly want to try and nominate a justice. Frankly, I'm absolutely sure that President Obama will try and do it. I hope that our Senate is going to be able to do something about it.

Q: So, just to be clear on this, you're OK with the President nominating somebody?

TRUMP: think he's going to do it whether or I'm OK with it or not. I think it's up to [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell, and everybody else to stop it. It's called delay, delay, delay.

Ted Cruz on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Feb 13, 2016)
80-year history of no Supreme Court changes in election year

Hillary Clinton on Supreme Court: (Crime Feb 4, 2016)
Death penalty appropriate for Oklahoma City bombing

CLINTON: What I hope the Supreme Court will do is make it absolutely clear that any state that continues capital punishment must meet the highest standards of evidentiary proof of effective assistance of counsel. I have much more confidence in the federal system, and I do reserve it for particularly heinous crimes in the federal system, like terrorism. I thought it was appropriate after a very thorough trial that Timothy McVeigh received the death penalty for blowing up the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people, including 19 children in a daycare center.

SANDERS: When somebody commits any of these terrible crimes [like in Oklahoma City], you lock them up, and you toss away the key. They're never going to get out. But, I just don't want to see government be part of killing.

Bernie Sanders on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Feb 4, 2016)
Litmus test for Supreme Court on Citizens United

Barack Obama on Supreme Court: (Jobs Oct 27, 2015)
Signed Ledbetter Fair Pay Law in first month of presidency

Bernie Sanders on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Oct 13, 2015)
Citizens United means billionaires donate for THEIR interest

Ted Cruz on Supreme Court: (Foreign Policy Sep 16, 2015)
Don't let world courts bind American sovereignty

CRUZ: Well, let's be clear when it comes to experience. What President Obama wants to do is he's run to the United Nations, and he wants to use the United Nations to bind the United States, and take away our sovereignty. Well, I spent five and a half years as a Solicitor General of Texas, the lead lawyer for the state, in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, and I went in front of the Supreme Court, and took on the World Court of the United Nations in a case called Medellin v. Texas, and we won a historic victory saying the World Court, and the U.N., has no power to bind the United States, and no President of the United States, Republican or Democrat, has the authority to give away our sovereignty.

Ted Cruz on Supreme Court: (Health Care Sep 16, 2015)
I regret voting for John Roberts because of ObamaCare vote

Rand Paul on Supreme Court: (Immigration Sep 16, 2015)
We need a Supreme Court case on birthright citizenship

TRUMP: I believe that a reading of the 14th Amendment allows you to have an interpretation where this is not legal and where it can't be done. I've seen both sides, but some of the greatest scholars agree with me, without having to go through Congress. If you do go through Congress, you can absolutely solve the problem.

PAUL: Donald Trump has a bit of a point here. The case that was decided around 1900 was, people had a green card, were here legally, and they said that their children were citizens. There's never been a direct Supreme Court case on people who were here illegally, whether or not their kids are citizens. So it hasn't really been completely adjudicated. The 14th Amendment says that "those who are here and under the jurisdiction." The original author of the 14th Amendment said on the Senate floor that this was applying to slaves, and did not specifically apply to others.

Bernie Sanders on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Sep 5, 2015)
Public funding of elections to promote even playing field

• Bernie wants to overturn Citizens United, a "disastrous Supreme Court decision" which allows unlimited sums of money to be funneled into electoral politics.
• DISCLOSE Act: protect the integrity and transparency of federal elections by establishing disclosure requirements for all contributions.
• Public Funding of Elections: Bernie wants to move towards public funding of elections to promote a more even playing field where all Americans can participate.
• Democracy Day: Bernie wants to celebrate democracy by creating a holiday to encourage voter turnout for elections.

Donald Trump on Supreme Court: (Civil Rights Aug 19, 2015)
After Supreme Court vote, gay marriage is a reality

A: Some people have hopes of passing [Constitutional] amendments, but it's not going to happen. Congress can't pass simple things, let alone that. So anybody that's making that an issue is doing it for political reasons. The Supreme Court ruled on it [and hence only a Constitutional amendment can overrule that].

John Kasich on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Aug 12, 2015)
A handful of billionaires should not decide who is president

[After that] the closest he came to broaching the subject of campaign finance reform was when he declared that "sometimes I think these laws can work, but unfortunately I think they work mostly on the margin." Got it? Neither do we.

Kasich took a different tack last month when he said that "a handful of billionaires should not decide who is president." But, even then, he was unsure of a solution to the problem.

Kasich has an unlimited-money super PAC. Earlier this year, it announced raising more than $11 million from 166 reportable contributions.

Rand Paul on Supreme Court: (Civil Rights Aug 6, 2015)
Resist government imposing religious views of marriage

PAUL: Look, I don't want my marriage or my guns registered in Washington. And if people have an opinion, it's a religious opinion that is heartly felt, obviously they should be allowed to practice that and no government should interfere with them. One of the things that really got to me was the thing in Houston where you had the government, the mayor actually, trying to get the sermons of ministers. When the government tries to invade the church to enforce its own opinion on marriage, that's when it's time to resist.

John Kasich on Supreme Court: (Civil Rights Aug 6, 2015)
I attended a gay wedding; accept the Supreme Court ruling

KASICH: I'm an old-fashioned person here, and I happen to believe in traditional marriage.

Q: How would you explain it to a child?

KASICH: The court has ruled, and I said we'll accept it. And guess what, I just went to a wedding of a friend of mine who happens to be gay. Because somebody doesn't think the way I do, doesn't mean that I can't care about them or can't love them. So if one of my daughters happened to be that, of course I would love them and I would accept them. Because that's what we're taught when we have strong faith.We need to give everybody a chance, treat everybody with respect, and let them share in this great American dream. So, look, I'm going to love my daughters, I'm going to love them no matter what they do. Because, you know what, God gives me unconditional love. I'm going to give it to my family and my friends and the people around me.

Ted Cruz on Supreme Court: (Civil Rights Jul 5, 2015)
Supreme Court gay rights ruling undermines the Constitution

I would urge everyone to read Justice Scalia's dissents. He said that these decisions are an assault on democracy. That this is 5 unelected lawyers declaring they are the rulers of 320 million Americans.

Ted Cruz on Supreme Court: (Crime Jun 30, 2015)
There's a special circle of Hell for rapists & pedophiles

Ted Cruz on Supreme Court: (Crime Jun 30, 2015)
In death penalty cases, describe brutal nature of crime

I would make a point of doing something the liberal clerks who opposed capital punishment rarely did-- simply describing the brutal nature of the crime for which the defendant had been convicted. The appeal would go to the full Court for a vote. Each of the other eight clerks would call their justices at home, wake them up, and then the justices would each vote on the appeal that night.

I still don't understand why the justices tolerate this gamesmanship, which diminishes respect for the rule of law.

Ted Cruz on Supreme Court: (Crime Jun 30, 2015)
End last-minute death penalty appeals: one week deadline

This gamesmanship diminishes respect for the rule of law. It would be a simple matter for the Court to issue rules saying that all applications for stays must be filed at least one week before the execution date. Or, even a single justice could simply announce publicly that he or she would not vote to stay any execution if the stay application were filed less than a week earlier. That would allow, fair, careful, reasoned consideration of the legal claims, not haphazard skimming at midnight. The rule could exclude claims of actual innocence--which could be filed at any time whatsoever--but the vast majority of capital defendants make no claims of innocence.

Ted Cruz on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Jun 30, 2015)
Citizens United is free speech; opposing it is censorship

The Obama administration was asked at an oral argument if it could prohibit a company from using its general treasury funds to publish a book that discusses the American political system for five hundred pages and then, at the end, says "Vote for X." President Obama's lawyer said, flat out, "Yes."

These radical claims for the authority to ban books and movies led me to dub the amendment's proponents the "Fahrenheit 451 Democrats," after Ray Bradbury's dystopian classic about book-burning government power run amok.

Ted Cruz on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Jun 30, 2015)
World Court has no authority to bind US justice system

With an opinion written by Chief Justice Roberts, the Supreme Court agreed with Texas that the World Court had no authority whatsoever to bind the U.S. justice system. At the same time, it struck down the president's order, concluding it was unconstitutional for the president to unilaterally surrender the sovereignty of the United States of America.

Ted Cruz on Supreme Court: (Principles & Values Jun 30, 2015)
First Amendment's purpose is not hostility toward religion

The decision was deeply misguided. It was typical of those on the left who are intent on eradicating any vestige of religion from the public sphere. The First Amendment was not adopted to create government hostility to religion; rather, the First Amendment exists to protect the religious liberty of every American.

Texas proudly took the lead in defending the Pledge of Allegiance. My team and I wrote an amicus brief that all fifty attorneys general signed, the first time that every state has signed a single brief submitted to the Supreme Court. And five months later, the Court unanimously reversed the decision of the lower court. We won, and children were once again free to pledge their allegiance to "one nation, under God."

John Kasich on Supreme Court: (Civil Rights Jun 29, 2015)
I support traditional marriage, but it's time to move on

"I do believe in traditional marriage, but the court has ruled and it's time to move on," the Ohio governor said. Kasich was one of the original defendants in Obergefell v. Hodges, the case that began in Ohio in July 2013 when James Obergefell and his partner, John Arthur James, filed a lawsuit against the state because of its refusal to recognize same-sex marriage on death certificates. But he's taking a much more cautious approach than many of his GOP presidential rivals in the wake of the court's ruling. "I think everybody needs to take a deep breath to see how this evolves," Kasich said. "But I know this. Religious institutions, religious entities--you know, like the Catholic church--they need to be honored as well. I think there's an ability to strike a balance."

Steve Bullock on Supreme Court: (Civil Rights Jun 26, 2015)
Protect the right to marry any person you love

"This ruling protects the right of all Montanans to marry the person they love, and moves our state and nation closer to the promise of freedom, dignity, and equality that they were founded upon. All people, regardless of their sexual orientation, should have the opportunity to make a good life for themselves and their families."

Donald Trump on Supreme Court: (Civil Rights Jun 16, 2015)
Same-sex marriage is a state issue

In a Bloomberg interview in January, the businessman asserted that he personally believes marriage is between a man and a woman. While he sees it as a state issue, Trump indicated that the Supreme Court could issue a ruling to determine the law.

Bernie Sanders on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Apr 30, 2015)
Constitutional amendment to reverse Citizen United ruling

Sanders proposes a Constitutional amendment that would effectively reverse the Supreme Court's Citizen United ruling and ban corporations and nonprofits from unlimited campaign expenditures. The independent senator would also require disclosure of any organizations spending $10,000 or more on an election-related campaign.

Ted Cruz on Supreme Court: (Education Apr 29, 2015)
Supports ending racial preferences for college admissions

• June 2013.Affirmative action: "Today, by a 7-1 vote, the Supreme Court vacated the lower court ruling [in Fisher v. University of Texas] upholding the University of Texas's use of racial preferences in admissions. Discriminating because of race is wrong, and this was a victory for our color-blind Constitution. In recent years, universities have made major strides to expand admissions for minorities and low-income students, working hard for the American dream. Universities should continue to do so, expanding opportunity for everyone--but that can be accomplished without discriminating on the basis of race."
• Sept. 2012.Financial aid: "Student aid is critically important. In my life, education opened doors for my parents and for me that never would've been opened. We should take the funding, give it to the states, and put the states in the position to make the decisions how to have the greatest impact in their communities."

Ted Cruz on Supreme Court: (Abortion Mar 23, 2015)
Ban taxpayer funding of abortion & partial birth abortion

Ted Cruz on Supreme Court: (Civil Rights Mar 23, 2015)
Most states can ignore Supreme Court legalizing gay marriage

Ted Cruz on Supreme Court: (Drugs Mar 5, 2015)
2014: federal enforcement; 2015: let states experiment

Those remarks contradict Cruz's previous position, when he criticized the Obama administration for failing to aggressively enforce the federal ban on marijuana in states that have legalized the drug. In January 2014, he described the Justice Department's prosecutorial restraint, which is designed to respect state policy choices, as an abuse of executive power.

Cruz's apparent turnaround reflects a political reality: Cruz's calibration is the easiest way to strike the balance between younger, more tolerant GOP voters and social conservatives.

Ted Cruz on Supreme Court: (Drugs Feb 26, 2015)
Let states be laboratories of democracy on marijuana

Ted Cruz on Supreme Court: (Civil Rights Oct 9, 2014)
Overturn Supreme Court with anti-gay marriage Amendment

Many conservative GOP candidates slammed the Supreme Court's rulings--Cruz vowed to introduce a constitutional amendment that would prevent federal courts or government from voiding state laws on marriage--but others considered the more strategic implications.

Mike Huckabee charged that the GOP "establishment" has waved the "white flag of surrender" on gay marriage.

Bernie Sanders on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Sep 14, 2014)
Citizens United opens up the road to oligarchy

SANDERS: The Koch brothers and the other billionaires are going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars. That is not a way you bring about change. We've got to mobilize the American people.

Q: If a billionaire agrees with you on issues are you okay with them participating in the process?

SANDERS: I think Citizens United will go down in history as one of the worst Supreme Court decisions ever. I think it is opening up the road to oligarchy, where the billionaires, like the Koch brothers--

Q: Left or right?

SANDERS: Left or right, but it's mostly right. It will always be. The Koch brothers are going to spend $400 million. Do you know what their agenda is? They want to end Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid. More tax breaks for the rich and large corporations. Nobody in America wants that except the billionaire class. This is a real danger to American democracy.

Hillary Clinton on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Jul 21, 2014)
Consider Constitutional Amendment against Citizen's United

Cory Booker on Supreme Court: (Abortion Jul 1, 2014)
Fix Hobby Lobby: it's not about religious freedom

The nation's highest court voted 5-4 on Monday that companies with religious objections can dodge the requirement to pay for insurance coverage for contraception under Obama's Affordable Care Act, saying it violates a federal law protecting religious freedom. The ruling favored art-and-crafts chain Hobby Lobby, among about 50 companies to sue over the ObamaCare requirement.

Booker is running for re-election this year against Republican challenger Jeff Bell, who--like other GOP leaders--praised Monday's ruling.

Hillary Clinton on Supreme Court: (Abortion Jun 30, 2014)
Hobby Lobby decision is slippery slope against women

Now, she said, something similar was happening in the US, where religion was worming its way into government. "Many more companies will claim religious beliefs. Some will be sincere, others maybe not. We're going to see this one insurable service cut out for many women," she said. "This is a really bad, slippery slope."

Rand Paul on Supreme Court: (Abortion Jun 30, 2014)
Supports religious freedom to deny contraceptive coverage

BACKGROUND: Burwell v. Hobby Lobby is a landmark Supreme Court decision allowing corporations to be exempt from providing contraception in their healthcare plan, if its owners religiously object, and there is a less restrictive means of furthering the law's interest. It is the first time that the court has recognized a for-profit corporation's claim of religious belief. The decision is an interpretation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Hillary Clinton on Supreme Court: (Civil Rights Jun 12, 2014)
We have all evolved on gay marriage since 1990s

"We are living at a time when this extraordinary change is occurring and I'm proud of our country," Clinton replied, but "that was not the case" during her president's stint in the White House. "I think that we have all evolved, and it's been one of the fastest, most sweeping transformations that I'm aware of," she said.

But after Gross pointed out that many people did support gay marriage during the 1990s, Clinton grew irritated.

"To be fair, Terry, not that many," she said. "Somebody is always out front and thank goodness they are. But that doesn't mean that those who join later--in being publically supportive or even privately accepting that there needs to be change--are any less committed."

Elizabeth Warren on Supreme Court: (Corporations Apr 22, 2014)
FactCheck: negotiated insurance deal for asbestos victims

After I left the case, a lower court held that the insurance company didn't need to pay as much money as it had offered, and the case was again appealed.

Factcheck.org stated: "Warren's version of the case has been publicly backed by several attorneys representing the asbestos victims, as well as leaders of an asbestos workers' union. `[Brown is flat out misrepresenting the facts,' Francis C. Boudrow, business manager for the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Asbestos Workers Union, Local No. 6 told the "Boston Globe." `It's offensive to all these people who've lost lives' to asbestos-related illness, he said."

Ted Cruz on Supreme Court: (Education Mar 7, 2014)
School choice is a deep passion of mine

Ted Cruz on Supreme Court: (Health Care Mar 7, 2014)
Interstate compacts should nullify individual mandate

Ted Cruz on Supreme Court: (Principles & Values Dec 12, 2013)
OpEd: definition of "natural born" has wiggle room

The American Constitution is explicit as to the qualifications for those who would be its leader: Article II, Section 1, "No person except a Natural Born Citizen...shall be eligible to the office of President."

A definition either enacted by Congress, or imposed by the Supreme Court, could define a "natural born" American as being one whose mother is American [like Cruz]. The term "natural born" has a degree of legal wiggle-room because it is a terminology from the latter 18th century which does not allow for the scientific-medical realities of the 21st century.

The words "natural born" refer to where he was born, and the possible influence of who his parents were, or where they were citizens and why a child was born where they were.

Kamala Harris on Supreme Court: (Health Care Nov 26, 2013)
Companies should provide contraception under ObamaCare

"Under the ACA, all Americans have the right to access affordable, quality healthcare, including contraception. For-profit companies should not be able to deny women access to healthcare based on the religious beliefs of the company's owners. The 10th circuit ruling should be reversed by the US Supreme Court."

The list of ObamaCare exemptions includes one on religion: anyone who is "conscientiously opposed to accepting any insurance benefits," which some say includes Muslim groups. This portion of the law was apparently written specifically for the Amish, but it may play a role in the fight over ObamaCare.

Cory Booker on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Nov 3, 2013)
Threat to voting rights in America remains very real

Rand Paul on Supreme Court: (Health Care Oct 6, 2013)
It's Congress' job to fight to change ObamaCare

PAUL: Well, because it's Congress's job to oversee spending. The power of the purse resides with Congress and they fund programs every year. So it's not their obligation once something is law to never change it. So it's a silly argument for Democrats to say, "Oh, the law has been passed. We can't ever change it." Well that's what Congress's job is.

Q: You talk about compromise a lot with regard to ObamaCare. What part of ObamaCare do you like and want to keep?

PAUL: I don't really like any of ObamaCare. But I realize I'm not going to get my way. But we do control a third of the government. People did elect us to fight. I'm supposed to go and fight to make bills either less bad or make them better if possible. So I think it is my job to stand up and provide oversight for legislation. It's precisely what Congress is supposed to be doing. This is Congress's job.

Hillary Clinton on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Aug 12, 2013)
Fight obstacles to voting disguised as election fraud claims

Clinton assailed what she considers an "unseemly rush" to make it harder for African Americans, Hispanics and other minorities to vote. She noted that this year, more than 80 bills restricting voting rights have been introduced in 31 states. "We've seen a sweeping effort across our country to construct new obstacles to voting, often undercover and addressing a phantom epidemic of election fraud," she said.

Clinton singled out 4 states in particular: FL, SC, TX, as well as NC, home to what she called the "greatest hits of voter suppression." Clinton said, "There are many problems in life that we can't fix, but preserving fairness and equality in our voting system is one that we can and that we should."

Rand Paul on Supreme Court: (Civil Rights Jun 26, 2013)
Redefining marriage leads to economic and moral problems

For Paul, this seemed perfectly sensible. In fact, the senator went even further than Beck: "If we have no laws on this people take it to one extension further. Does it have to be humans? I'm kind of with you, I see the thousands-of-year tradition of the nucleus of the family unit. I also see that economically, if you just look without any kind of moral periscope and you say, what is it that is the leading cause of poverty in our country? It's having kids without marriage. The stability of the marriage unit is enormous and we should not just say oh we're punting on it, marriage can be anything."

Steve Bullock on Supreme Court: (Civil Rights Apr 18, 2013)
Signed repeal of criminalization of gay sex under state law

Analysis by The Atlantic: Under Montana's state legislation, gay sex, [before this bill, was] a felony punishable with up to 10 years in jail and a $50,000 fine. SB 107 would change the definition of "deviate sexual relations" in the state--a full 16 years after the state Supreme Court ruled that the language criminalizing gay sex as unconstitutional--and no longer lump in gay sex as the same kind of crime as having sex with an animal.

The bloc of 36 Republicans want to keep the law in place: "Sex that doesn't produce people is deviant," says Rep. Dave Hagstrom. Rep. Jerry O'Neil, who also voted against the bill, said. "If some 2nd-grade teacher wants to introduce her lover to the kids, there isn't anything that the school board can do to stop that."

Legislative Outcome: Passed Senate 38-11-1 on Feb/20/13; Passed House 64-35-1 on Apr/10/13; Signed by Governor Steve Bullock on Apr/18/13

Barack Obama on Supreme Court: (Welfare & Poverty Feb 12, 2013)
Community organizing brings about redistributive change

"The Supreme Court never ventured into the issues of redistribution of wealth, and of more basic issues such as political and economic justice in society.

One of the tragedies of the civil rights movement was because the civil rights movement became so court-focused I think there was a tendency to lose track of the political and community organizing and activities on the ground that are able to put together the actual coalition of powers through which you bring about redistributive change."

During his presidency, we've seen Mr. Obama's many attempts to skirt the law and get around the Constitution to implement his redistribution agenda. His crowning achievement was one of the most immense pieces of redistributionist legislation in America history--the federal health care law.

Eric Swalwell on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Nov 6, 2012)
Super PACS buy influence & game our political system

Joe Biden on Supreme Court: (Abortion Oct 11, 2012)
Romney will appoint pro-life Justice; Obama will not

RYAN: We don't think that unelected judges should make this decision; that people, through their elected representatives and reaching a consensus in society through the democratic process, should make this determination.

BIDEN: The next president will get one or two Supreme Court nominees. That's how close Roe v. Wade is. Just ask yourself: With Robert Bork being the chief adviser on the court for Mr. Romney, who do you think he's likely to appoint? Do you think he's likely to appoint someone far right, that would outlaw abortion? I suspect that would happen. I guarantee you that will not happen [with Obama]. We picked people who are open-minded. They've been good justices.

RYAN: Was there a litmus test on them?

BIDEN: There was no litmus test. We picked people who had an open mind, did not come with an agenda.

Elizabeth Warren on Supreme Court: (Civil Rights Oct 11, 2012)
We need a reliable vote for equal pay for equal work

Brown shot back that "I didn't vote for your boss," a reference to Justice Elena Kagan, who was dean of the Harvard Law School. He said Kagan didn't have the requisite judicial experience.

Elizabeth Warren on Supreme Court: (Abortion Sep 21, 2012)
No Supreme Court nominees who oppose legal abortion

Brown described himself as "pro-choice" and said he opposed Kagan because she didn't have enough courtroom experience for the high court. "Sorry I didn't vote for your boss," Brown said, referring to Kagan's tenure as dean of Harvard Law School. Warren pointed to a Brown vote in favor of a proposed amendment that would allow employers to deny insurance coverage for birth control. Brown said he supports women's access to birth control but was trying to protect the concerns of Roman Catholics.

Rand Paul on Supreme Court: (Environment Sep 12, 2012)
Navigable waters should mean permanently flowing

It remains a dangerous situation, though, because the definition of "navigable" is still nebulous and arbitrarily decided by the Corps. Congress has abdicated its responsibility to provide clear laws and guidelines for regulators and citizens to follow. I have introduced the Defense of the Environment and Property Act of 2012 in order to:

• Redefine "navigable waters" to explicitly clarify that waters must actually be navigable, or "permanent, standing, or continuously flowing bodies of water."
• Ephemeral or intermittent streams--the streams that sometimes form when rain falls--will be excluded from federal jurisdiction.

Barack Obama on Supreme Court: (Government Reform Aug 30, 2012)
Constitutional Amendment to overturn Citizens United

Obama made the comment Wednesday in an online chat with the website Reddit. The 2010 Citizens United ruling paved the way for a flood of campaign cash from corporations, unions and wealthy interests.

The president says that even if the amendment process fell short, "it can shine a spotlight" on super PACs and, in his words, "help apply pressure for change."

Obama says that in the meantime there's a need for more disclosure of the large campaign contributions flowing into super PACs and that such contributions, quote, "fundamentally threaten to overwhelm the political process."

Rand Paul on Supreme Court: (Health Care Aug 29, 2012)
ObamaCare is still unconstitutional, despite Supreme Court

The leftwing blogs were merciless. Even my wife said--can't you pleeeease count to ten before you speak? So, I've had time now to count to ten and, you know what? I still think it's unconstitutional!

Do you think Justice Scalia and Justice Thomas have changed their minds? I think if James Madison himself--the father of the Constitution--were here today he would agree with me: The whole damn thing is still unconstitutional!

This debate is not new and it's not over. Hamilton and Madison fought from the beginning about how government would be limited by the enumerated powers. Madison was unequivocal. The powers of the federal government are few and defined. The power to tax and spend is restricted by the enumerated powers.

So, how do we fix this travesty of justice? There's only one option left. We have to have a new president!