Tom Harkin on Principles & Values Democratic Jr Senator (IA)

Voted with Democratic Party 95.3% of 320 votes.

Voted YES on confirming of Sonia Sotomayor to Supreme Court.

"In the past month, many Senators have asked me about my judicial philosophy. It is simple: fidelity to the law. The task of a judge is not to make the law--it is to apply the law. And it is clear, I believe, that my record in two courts reflects my rigorous commitment to interpreting the Constitution according to its terms; interpreting statutes according to their terms and Congress's intent; and hewing faithfully to precedents established by the Supreme Court and my Circuit Court. In each case I have heard, I have applied the law to the facts at hand."

Voted NO on confirming Samuel Alito as Supreme Court Justice.

Voted NO on confirming John Roberts for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Religious affiliation: Catholic.

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Such factors as religious service attendance, belief, practice, familiarity with doctrine, belief in certain creeds, etc., may be important to sociologists, religious leaders, and others. But these are measures of religiosity and are usually not used academically to define a person’s membership in a particular religion. It is important to recognize there are various levels of adherence, or membership within religious traditions or religious bodies. There’s no single definition, and sources of adherent statistics do not always make it clear what definition they are using.

Rated 100% by the AU, indicating support of church-state separation.

OnTheIssues.org interprets the 2006 AU scores as follows:

• 0%- 20%: opposition to church-state separation (approx. 232 members)
• 21%- 79%: mixed record on church-state separation (approx. 79 members)
• 80%-100%: support of church-state separation (approx. 153 members)

Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom. AU is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to preserving the constitutional principle of church-state separation as the only way to ensure religious freedom for all Americans.

Americans United is a national organization with members in all 50 states. We are headquartered in Washington, D.C., and led by the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director. AU has more than 75,000 members from all over the country. They include people from all walks of life and from various faith communities, as well as those who profess no particular faith. We are funded by donations from our members and others who support church-state separation. We do not seek, nor would we accept, government funding.

Rated 0% by the AU, indicating support of separation of church & state.

Scoring system for 2014: Ranges from 0% (supports separation of church & state) to 100% (opposed to separation of church & state).

About the AU (from their website, www.au.org):Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) is a religious liberty watchdog group. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom. AU is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to preserving the constitutional principle of church-state separation as the only way to ensure religious freedom for all Americans.

Americans United fights for church-state separation of a wide variety of fronts. Here are some of the issues we work on. We encourage you learn more about each of them. Knowledge is power.
• Religion in Public Schools and Universities
  • Creationism & Evolution
  • School Prayer
  • Bibles and Religious Texts in Curricula
  • Student Religious Clubs
  • Religious Music
  • Religious Displays and Holidays
  • Pledge of Allegiance
  • Use of School Buildings by Religious Groups
• The Faith-Based Initiative & Government Subsidies of Religious Institutions
  • Constructing and Refurbishing Buildings Used for Religious Activities
  • Faith-Based Prison Programs
  • Tax Exemptions for Churches and Clergy
• School Vouchers & Government Subsidies of Religious Schools
• Official Prayer, Religious Displays & Ceremonial Religion
• Discrimination, Religious Exemptions & Free Exercise of Religion
• Churches and Politics
  • Religious Groups' Involvement in Candidate Elections
  • Religious Groups' Involvement in Ballot Initiatives
  • Lobbying by Churches and Religious Groups
  • Churches as Polling Places
  • U.S.-Vatican Diplomatic Relations
• Marriage, Reproductive Justice & Other Privacy Issues
• Nominations & the Judiciary
• Fighting the Religious Right