GOP Senator: Obama Will Use Supreme Court Pick to Promote Radical Agenda

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Apr 27, 2010   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

GOP Senator: Obama Will Use Supreme Court Pick to Promote Radical Agenda

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
April 27
, 2010

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — In a preview of he upcoming battle over a Supreme Court nomination, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee says in a new interview that he expects pro-abortion President Barack Obama to use the nomination to advance his radical agenda.

Sen. Jeff Sessions, a pro-life Alabama Republican, talked with ABC News and said Republicans expect to use the nomination as a chance to talk about the proper role of judges.

The expectation is that Republicans will not be able to stop the confirmation of Obama’s nominee, who is expected to support abortion, but they will use the media attention to go after Obama for appointing radical judges who legislate from the bench in the manner the Supreme Court did in the Roe v. Wade decision that allowed 52 million abortions.

"It’s pretty clear to me that President Obama sees judges as allies in an effort to promote an agenda he thinks is best for the country," Sessions said. "And a lot of people see it that way — he’s just part of that movement."

"And that’s not law. That’s not law — that’s politics. And it’s a poison in our legal system, and the American people are not happy about it. They see it for what it is, and they don’t think that courts ought to be there to rubber-stamp President Obama’s or anybody’s agenda," Sessions told ABC News.

Sessions added that Republicans on the Senate judicial panel will likely quiz the nominee on issues related to the government-run health care bill Obama signed that includes massive taxpayer funding of abortions.

"What I’m hearing from my constituents is a cry that Washington is losing all recognition that it is a government of limited, delegated powers, and that it is assuming roles that go far beyond anything the governed ever thought that they would be doing," Sessions added in the ABC News interview.

"You have the fundamental question: Is this what the framers [of the Constitution] had in mind when they created a limited government," he asked.

Sessions said he hoped to not have to engage in a filibuster, but he said Senate Republicans reserve the right to engage in one if Obama’s nominee is too extreme.

Last week, Obama said he would not have a litmus test saying a nominee should support unlimited legal abortions, but he essentially laid one out in subsequent comments.

His comments eventually came under fire from pro-life groups.

Obama reportedly has a list of about 10 people he is considering to replace retiring pro-abortion Justice John Paul Stevens.

Solicitor General Elena Kagan and Judges Diane Wood of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and Merrick Garland of the United States Court of Appeals for the District Circuit are considered leading candidates.

Judges Sidney Thomas of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; Ann Williams of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit; pro-abortion Gov. Jennifer Granholm of Michigan and former Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears of the Georgia Supreme Court are other potential nominees.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who backs abortion and Martha Minow, dean of Harvard Law School, and Justice Carlos Moreno of the California Supreme Court are other potential replacements for Stevens.

Sign Up for Free Pro-Life News From LifeNews.com

Daily Pro-Life News Report Twice-Weekly Pro-Life
News Report
Receive a free daily email report from LifeNews.com with the latest pro-life news stories on abortion, euthanasia and stem cell research. Sign up here. Receive a free twice-weekly email report with the latest pro-life news headlines on abortion, euthanasia and stem cell research. Sign up here.