Topics in the News: Supreme Court

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Gun Control : Oct 9, 2023
Common sense gun control, and assault weapons ban

JD Vance on Civil Rights : Sep 12, 2023
Enforce Court decision ending college affirmative action

While the Court took a big step forward in eliminating racial discrimination in admissions, more work remains to be done. In his remarks in the wake of the landmark decision, President Biden proposed "a new standard, where colleges take into account the adversity a student has overcome, including racial discrimination that individuals have faced in their own lives."

We call upon the Biden administration to embrace the Court's holdings: racial discrimination [does not] have any place in schooling. The American people deserve no less than an Executive Branch committed to enforcing the law equally to all people without concern for their race.

Joe Biden on Civil Rights : Sep 12, 2023
New standard to reinstate college affirmative action

While the Court took a big step forward in eliminating racial discrimination in admissions, more work remains to be done. In his remarks in the wake of the landmark decision, President Biden proposed "a new standard, where colleges take into account the adversity a student has overcome, including racial discrimination that individuals have faced in their own lives."

We call upon the Biden administration to embrace the Court's holdings: racial discrimination [does not] have any place in schooling. The American people deserve no less than an Executive Branch committed to enforcing the law equally to all people without concern for their race.

Larry Elder on Abortion : Aug 10, 2023
Abortion is murder, Roe one of the worst Court decisions

Kamala Harris on Civil Rights : Jul 19, 2023
Supreme Court trying to get rid of DEI & affirmative action

You look at what's happening with these so-called leaders who are trying to say that diversity and equity and inclusion is somehow a bad thing. Let us not let them get away with that. They're trying to get rid of DEI programs so that corporations will stop paying attention to who they're hiring and promoting, will stop paying attention to who gets accepted to schools, thinking about the issue of equity. So, all of these factors are connected. And to care about one is to also have the responsibility to see it in the context of the others.

Cornel West on Civil Rights : Jul 7, 2023
Focusing on diversity is a very narrow criteria to use

WEST: This began with reparations--an attempt to repair some of the damage done by the barbaric slavery and the vicious Jim and Jane Crow. It shifted to diversity, and that became a very narrow criteria to use. And now that's being called into question.

Will Hurd on Education : Jul 2, 2023
Colleges can still consider race without affirmative action

HURD: Well, race still does matter. And that's why this case allows race still to be used when adjudicating whether or not a student should be able to go to college.

Q: So, you think that colleges should factor race into their admissions?

HURD: Colleges still can. The court made it very clear they are able to use that, because it has an impact on who they are and on their life experiences and why they have been successful or the issues that they have been able to deal with.

Mike Pence on Principles & Values : Jul 2, 2023
The freedom of religion is our first freedom

Perry Johnson on Civil Rights : Jun 30, 2023
Leftists drives wedges among us in dealing with race

Asa Hutchinson on Civil Rights : Jun 29, 2023
Move beyond race-based admissions; fight identity politics

Former two-term Arkansas governor and candidate for Republican presidential nomination Asa Hutchinson had his reaction in support of the decision up not long after the morning announcement of the decision. "The recent Supreme Court ruling strikes a blow against identity politics. It's time to move beyond race-based admissions. Colleges are supporting diversity by reducing legacy preferences and increasing financial aid," Hutchinson stated.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders invoked Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.: "People should be judged on the content of their character, not the color of their skin. The Supreme Court affirmed that fundamental truth in today's decision."

Tim Walz on Abortion : Jun 14, 2023
Codified abortion rights while surrounded by pro-life states

Minnesota, surrounded by anti-abortion states, is a refuge in the Upper Midwest for reproductive health care. Reproductive rights groups are planning a constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.

"This incredible progress starkly contrasts with what happened in surrounding states, where politicians banned abortions and gender-affirming care, attacked drag shows, and invested more tax dollars into deceptive anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers," read a statement by Minnesota Planned Parenthood.

Marianne Williamson on Corporations : Jun 6, 2023
Government has become a handmaiden to a new corporate order

Asa Hutchinson on Government Reform : May 7, 2023
Supreme Court needs to be transparent on reporting rules

Mike Pence on Abortion : Apr 22, 2023
A champion of the right to life throughout my public career

Joe Biden on Abortion : Feb 7, 2023
If Congress passes a national abortion ban, I will veto it

Tim Walz on Abortion : Oct 18, 2022
Abortion is on the ballot with my anti-choice opponent

Walz stressed that governors can appoint Minnesota Supreme Court justices who interpret cases. "I just want to be absolutely clear, this is on the ballot," Walz said.

JD Vance on Abortion : Oct 10, 2022
Abortion rights should be regulated by state legislatures

Vance has previously said he supports abortion when it's necessary to save the pregnant person's life, but he's opposed to exceptions for cases of rape or incest. When asked about the case of a 10-year-old Ohio girl who got an abortion in Indiana, he said she should've been able to get an abortion if she and her family chose to do so. Then he pivoted to the man accused of raping and impregnating the girl, who is believed to be an undocumented immigrant. "That poor girl was raped by an illegal alien, somebody who should've never been in this state in the first place...if you had done your job, she would've never been raped in the first place," Vance told Ryan. "Do your job on border security."

Doug Burgum on Energy & Oil : Jun 30, 2022
EPA rules infringed on state & Congressional authority

"The Court's ruling is a tremendously significant decision for State's rights and consumers. This ruling puts a halt to federal overreach, including far reaching EPA proposed rules that infringed not just on State's but congressional authority," Burgum said. "Leading with innovation, not regulation, and all-of-the-above energy strategies that are responsive to market trends, promote new technologies to boost production and curb emissions is an environmentally sound and common-sense approach."

In 2020, the US Court of Appeals struck down the EPA's Affordable Clean Energy Rule, which recognized the shift in delegating to the States the primary authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plans. The decision today in North Dakota vs. EPA reversed that ruling.

JD Vance on Principles & Values : May 3, 2022
Met wife at Yale Law School as his "Yale spirit guide"

Kamala Harris on 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."

Donald Trump on 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]

Joe Biden on 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 Abortion : Oct 15, 2020
I won't influence how Justices vote on Roe v Wade

Joe Biden on 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 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.

Kamala Harris on 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 Principles & Values : Oct 7, 2020
In America, we debate and disagree, but then come together

Mike Pence on 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.

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

Joe Biden on 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 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.

Mike Pence on 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 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]

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

Joe Biden on 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."

Donald Trump on 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."

Donald Trump on 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 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 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 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.

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

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

Joe Biden on 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.

Bernie Sanders on 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.

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

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

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

Dean Phillips on Government Reform : Feb 1, 2019
Backing bill to overturn Citizens United

Bernie Sanders on 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 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.

Tim Walz on Government Reform : Oct 9, 2018
Limit corporate campaign donations, and disclose all

Jeff Johnson (R): Unknown.

Tim Walz (D): Yes. Co-sponsored 2012 DISCLOSE Act, requiring full disclosure of independent campaign expenditures.

Q: Support Citizens United decision, allowing unlimited political donations from corporations & unions?

Johnson: Unknown.

Walz: No. Disagrees with Supreme Court decision that lifts limits on corporations' & unions' spending in US elections.

Donald Trump on 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 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."

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

Tim Walz on Civil Rights : May 2, 2017
No discrimination because of who they love

I am a strong supporter of marriage equality and legislation that provides civil rights protections for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community. No one should be discriminated against because of who they love.

Donald Trump on 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.

Donald Trump on 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.

Jill Stein on Government Reform : Oct 10, 2016
Supreme Court needs to be for the people and their rights

Jill Stein: We need Supreme Court justices who are ready to stand up for everyday people. That means to end the stranglehold that big money has on our political system. That means not only overturning Citizens United, but supporting that money is not speech and that corporations are not people. We need strong support for our rights as voters. The Supreme Court needs to be strongly in support of women's rights, the rights of immigrants, workers' rights and LGBTQ rights.

Donald Trump on 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.

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

Donald Trump on 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.

Bernie Sanders on 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.

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

Jill Stein on Abortion : Feb 22, 2016
Roe shows Supreme Court is amenable to public pressure

And remember what happened under Richard Nixon, one of the most oppressive, regressive, dishonest presidents out there. Remember what we got because we had a movement in the streets. The power is ours. We got women's right to choose by pushing the Supreme Court, which is an institution that's amenable to public pressure. We brought the troops home from Vietnam. We got the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act and OSHA, and established workers' health and safety.

People have been systematically disempowered by our media. We're fed this corporate brainwashing many times a day that we are powerless. And therefore we have to choose between two oppressors. And it's really important to reject that lesser evil-ism and stand up and fight for the greater good. The greater good here has been lost in the battle between the evils.

Donald Trump on 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

Donald Trump on 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.

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

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

Bernie Sanders on 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 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].

Jill Stein on Civil Rights : Jul 6, 2015
After marriage equality comes workplace equality

Stein: My sense is that we need to end discrimination in the workplace and housing. There are 28 states that have not enacted protection in the workplace. Suicides are four times elevated among LGBT youth.

OnTheIssues: You mean you're worried about same-sex couples being "Married on Sunday; fired on Monday?"

Stein: Yes that's right.

Chris Christie on Government Reform : Jul 5, 2015
Does not support electing Supreme Court justices

CHRISTIE: No. I don't think we should elect Supreme Court Justices. What we do in New Jersey, which I think is something that folks can consider is we appoint our justices for a seven-year term. And then after seven years, the governor has the opportunity to again consider whether to nominate them then for a lifetime tenure. I don't want to see judges raising money and running for election. I would, though, trust the executive after seven years, like we do in New Jersey, to decide whether or not to reappoint people. I'm the first governor in New Jersey's constitutional history to not reappoint two supreme court justices. I wanted to go in another direction. That can work. I've done it in New Jersey. But I don't believe we should be putting judges on the ballot. I just disagree with Senator Cruz.

Chris Christie on Civil Rights : Jun 30, 2015
Disagree with Supreme Court, but gay marriage is law of land

In the past, the governor favored civil unions but not same-sex marriage. He dropped New Jersey's challenge to a court decision legalizing gay marriage in 2013.

Donald Trump on 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 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.

Bernie Sanders on 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.

Kamala Harris on 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.

Chris Christie on Civil Rights : Jun 27, 2013
Supreme Court accepting gay marriage was "a bad decision"

Christie noted that DOMA originated with a Republican Congress & Democratic president. "I thought that Justice (Anthony) Kennedy's opinion in many respects was incredibly insulting to those people, 340-some members of Congress who voted for the Defense of Marriage Act, and Bill Clinton," he said. "They basically said the only reason to pass that bill was to demean people."

Christie calls for voters to decide the issue in each state [which pleases liberals]. His opposition to gay marriage could maintain his conservative bone fides while pacifying GOP voters in early primary states.

Kamala Harris on Families & Children : Feb 27, 2013
Let same-sex couples marry the person they love

"Equal protection under the law is a bedrock of our Constitution," said Harris. "I look forward to the day when all Californians are granted their full civil rights and can marry the person they love."

In 2010, a court invalidated Proposition 8 on the grounds that it violated the equal protection guarantee of the 14th Amendment by taking away the right of same-sex couples to marry. Governor Jerry Brown and Attorney General Harris both refused to defend Proposition 8 on the basis that the law is unconstitutional.

"The sole yet profound effect of Proposition 8 was to take away the right of gay and lesbian couples to call their union a 'marriage' and to strip loving relationships of validation and dignity under law," says the brief.

Joe Biden on 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.

Chris Christie on Civil Rights : Jun 5, 2012
Marriage is an institution between one man & one woman

Chris Christie on Government Reform : Jun 5, 2012
Judges who legislate from the bench will not be reappointed

Chris Christie on Education : Jan 17, 2012
Replace Abbott District funds with tenure reform & charters

1. reform tenure--by taking it away from those whose ratings are unacceptably weak.
2. if layoffs are necessary remove the least effective teachers instead of just the most junior ones.
3. pay teachers more when they are assigned to a failing school or to teach a difficult subject.
4. end forced placements--teachers should not be assigned to schools without the mutual consent of the teacher and the principal.
5. reform our process for authorizing charter schools to focus on our failing school districts

Kamala Harris on Crime : Oct 31, 2011
Learn from public health model and focus on prevention

Chris Christie on Government Reform : Nov 15, 2010
Refused to reappoint activist judge to NJ Supreme Court

State and local governments are not perfect. We all have lots of waste we can end, lots of bureaucratic red tape we need to streamline ourselves, and we have laws that could be improved to maximize freedom. But the value proposition offered by state and local governments as compared with the federal government is, in fact, incomparable. Imagine how strong we could be if the federal government didn't interfere with us and if we didn't often have to do its job.

Joe Biden on Civil Rights : Oct 5, 2010
Inalienable rights cannot be denied by any majority

His concerns [about Bork] touched on "the relationship of people of different races in our land; whether it was wrong for state courts to enforce covenants that prohibited black couples from buying homes in white neighborhoods; whether the court was wrong in allowing literacy tests in voting; and whether in the future the Court will intervene to protect the rights of the races.." Biden listed other privacy rights: in marriage, in child-raising, in having private schools; above all in freedom of expression in politics and the arts.

Joe Biden on Families & Children : Oct 5, 2010
1991: VAWA is about civil rights, not divorce law

In 1991 Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist appointed a four-judge committee to appraise the push for a Violence Against Women Act. It challenged classifying such violence as a civil rights offense and warned that the federal caseload might be so increased as to cause "major state-federal jurisdictional problems and disruptions."

Biden angrily wrote to the committee: "The bill does not federalize divorce law or domestic relations cases any more than any other civil rights law does." But Rehnquist wrote that the bill "is so open-ended and the new private right of action so sweeping that the legislation would involve the federal courts in a host of domestic relations disputes."

Joe Biden on Government Reform : Oct 5, 2010
1987: Bork fight changed rules of nomination process

The basic understanding was that as long as a Supreme Court nominee had the intellectual capacity, a breadth of experience in constitutional law, and a reasonable judicial temperament, the Senate was bound to confirm a nominee. Ideology was the third rail of Supreme Court nominations.

Biden wrote that in the toughest confirmation cases in the 1960s, the nominees "were rejected for personal shortcomings, but the clear and unspoken reason was ideology. I thought it was time to take up ideology in the open and avoid personal attacks." In a major speech on the Senate floor, Biden cited specific precedents in which ideology had been the deciding factor.

Joe Biden on Civil Rights : Nov 17, 2009
1987 Biden Report: Reject Bork; he'd roll back civil rights

A hotly contested United States Senate debate over Bork's nomination ensued, partly fueled by strong opposition by civil and women's rights groups concerned with what they claimed was Bork's desire to roll back civil rights decisions of the Warren and Burger courts. Bork is one of only three Supreme Court nominees to ever be opposed by the American Civil Liberties Union, along with William Rehnquist and Samuel Alito. Bork was also criticized for being an "advocate of disproportionate powers for the executive branch of Government, almost executive supremacy," as allegedly demonstrated by his role in the Saturday Night Massacre.

Joe Biden on Crime : Oct 1, 2008
Supreme Court wrong to deny federalization of wife-beating

A: You know, I'm the guy who wrote the Violence Against Women Act. And I said that every woman in America, if they are beaten and abused by a man, should be able to take that person to court--meaning you should be able to go to federal court and sue in federal court the man who abused you if you can prove that abuse. But they said, "No, for a woman, there's no federal jurisdiction." And I held, they acknowledged, I held about 1,000 hours of hearings proving that there's an effect in interstate commerce.

Women who are abused and beaten and beaten are women who are not able to be in the work force. And the Supreme Court said, "Well, there is an impact on commerce, but this is federalizing a private crime and we're not going to allow it." I think the Supreme Court was wrong about that decision.

Mike Pence on Abortion : Feb 8, 2008
Commit to unalienable right to life, including the unborn

Our candidate must be willing to stand for the unborn and commit to appointing justices to the Supreme Court who will consign Roe v. Wade to the ash heap of history.

And our candidates must be willing to deny federal funding to any organization that promotes abortion at home and abroad. It is time to end all federal funding to Planned Parenthood

Joe Biden on Government Reform : Nov 11, 2007
As Judiciary Chair, rejected Bork and supported Thomas

Joe Biden on Government Reform : Jul 31, 2007
1988: led fight against nomination of Robert Bork

At a meeting, I said, "If I lead this fight, it will not be a single issue campaign." The NY Times called my staff to confirm that I'd promised to "lead the fight" against Bork. The president's spokesman said his boss found it "regrettable" that I had "chosen to politicize the hearings in this kind of partisan fashion."

Bork was a bona fide scholar. He had been solicitor general, acting attorney general, professor of law at Yale, and a judge. The way to stop Bork was on a question of his outside-the-mainstream judicial ideology. I thought it was time to avoid personal attacks. [Bork was defeated.]

Joe Biden on Principles & Values : Jul 15, 2007
His book "Promises to Keep" written before presidential race

A: Well, I wrote a book back when I thought I was going to be working with John Kerry in a Kerry administration. It had nothing to do with presidential politics. I was encouraged to write it by a guy named Richard Ben Cramer, who wrote the book "What it Takes," and asked how my personal values inform my public policy. And I talk about everything from the Supreme Court to the Balkans to Iraq, and how I think that the most significant thing about what we need in leadership is people who are willing to get back up. My dad used to have an expression. He used to say, "The measure of success is not whether you get knocked down; it's how rapidly you get back up." And the American people always get back up. And I think what they're doing is looking for somebody who is going to give them the opportunity to be able to take on the tough issues that are out there and just tell them the truth.

Joe Biden on Abortion : Apr 29, 2007
Supports partial-birth abortion ban, but not undoing Roe

A: I did and I do.

And the Supreme Court came and basically upheld that ban, and you criticized the Supreme Court.

Q: They upheld the ban, and then they engaged in what we lawyers call dicta that is frightening. You had an intellectually dishonest rationale for an honest justification for upholding the ban. I know this is going to sound arcane--they blurred the distinction between the government's role in being involved in the first day and the ninth month. They became paternalistic, talking about the court could consider the impact on the mother and keeping her from making a mistake. This is all code for saying, "Here we come to undo Roe v. Wade." What they did is not so much the decision, the actual outcome of the decision, it's what attended the decision that portends for a real hard move on the court to undo the right of privacy. That's what I'm criticizing about the court's decision.

Joe Biden on Abortion : Apr 26, 2007
Nominees should agree on constitutional right to privacy

A: I strongly support Roe v. Wade. I wouldn't have a specific question but I would make sure that the people I sent to be nominated for the Supreme Court shared my values; and understood that there is a right to privacy in the United States Constitution. That's why I led the fight to defeat Bork, Roberts Alito, and Thomas.

Joe Biden on Government Reform : Feb 11, 2003
Disallowed bringing pornography issues into Thomas hearing