During last night’s Republican presidential debate, Ted Cruz pointed out the importance of the Supreme Court in light of the passing of pro-life Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. His death underscores the importance for electing a pro-life president — as the next president will appoint at least one and likely multiple judges to the nation’s highest court — judges who will set the future for abortion in the Untied States.
“Justice Scalia was a legal giant. He was somebody that I knew for 20 years. He was a brilliant man. He was faithful to the Constitution. He changed the arc of American legal history,” Cruz said. “And I’ll tell you, his passing tonight, our prayers are with his family, with his wife, Maureen, who he adored, his nine children, his 36 grandkids.”
“But it underscores the stakes of this election. We are one justice away from a Supreme Court that will strike down every restriction on abortion adopted by the states. We are one justice away from a Supreme Court that will reverse the Heller decision, one of Justice Scalia’s seminal decisions that upheld the Second Amendment right to keep and to bear arms,” Cruz added.
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The pro-life Texas senator continued:
We are one justice away from a Supreme Court that would undermine the religious liberty of millions of Americans — and the stakes of this election, for this year, for the Senate, the Senate needs to stand strong and say, “We’re not going to give up the U.S. Supreme Court for a generation by allowing Barack Obama to make one more liberal appointee.”
And then for the state of South Carolina, one of the most important judgments for the men and women of South Carolina to make is who on this stage has the background, the principle, the character, the judgment, and the strength of resolve to nominate and confirm principled constitutionalists to the court? That will be what I will do if I’m elected president.
In excellent news for the pro-life movement, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Saturday night that the Senate will not take up a vote on a replacement for deceased pro-life Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia until after the presidential election.
Cruz agrees with delaying a vote until after the next president takes office.
“Justice Scalia was an American hero. We owe it to him, & the Nation, for the Senate to ensure that the next President names his replacement,”Cruz said on Twitter.
“Today our Nation mourns the loss of one of the greatest Justices in history – Justice Antonin Scalia,” Cruz said in a statement. “A champion of our liberties and a stalwart defender of the Constitution, he will go down as one of the few Justices who single-handedly changed the course of legal history.”
Cruz added: “As liberals and conservatives alike would agree, through his powerful and persuasive opinions, Justice Scalia fundamentally changed how courts interpret the Constitution and statutes, returning the focus to the original meaning of the text after decades of judicial activism. And he authored some of the most important decisions ever, including District of Columbia v. Heller, which recognized our fundamental right under the Second Amendment to keep and bear arms.”
The candidate continued his praise for Scalia, saying, He was an unrelenting defender of religious liberty, free speech, federalism, the constitutional separation of powers, and private property rights. All liberty-loving Americans should be in mourning.
Earlier this year, Cruz condemned the Roe v. Wade decision, which has allowed virtually unlimited abortions for four decades.
“Today, thousands of people march to the Supreme Court with heavy hearts. It is a solemn ritual, one that reminds us of the tragic loss of over 56 million unborn lives.
“Fifty-six million boys and girls who never drew a breath of air. Poets and inventors, doctors and athletes, explorers and musicians, the world is far the poorer for their loss.
“Every human life is a precious gift from God, and our law should protect innocent human life. Yet 41 years ago, the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision overturned the Texas law that prohibited abortion on demand.
“As we mourn the loss of millions of souls, we also commemorate the good work that citizens continue to do to fervently defend life. Beyond the thousands of marchers in Washington today, countless individuals are devoted to affirming life, to promoting adoption and to helping provide comfort and aid to new mothers in distress. Their efforts have continued to make significant steps towards valuing the dignity of each human life.
“This past year, we saw the horror of late-term abortionist Kermit Gosnell, who was convicted of deliberately killing babies already born. The tragedy of that case can never be undone, but the fact that he was found guilty by a jury of his peers in Philadelphia is a small step towards basic human decency.
“In time, we can all hope that we can come together and create a culture of life, where every human life is protected, cherished, and respected.”
