Arlen Specter Quotes

"I do hope that when we in the Congress, both in this body -- when responsibilities come to the Senate -- and the other body, in the House of Representatives, there will be an approach which is bipartisan and nonpartisan in nature,"

"[Specter said afterward that he had urged Bush to delay naming a choice to succeed Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.] The president was noncommittal, ... The body language was not very positive."

"She said she believes there's a right to privacy (in the Constitution), ... And she believes Griswold was rightly decided."

"I suggest it may be very helpful to U.S. efforts to secure Venezuela's cooperation in our joint attack on drug interdiction if the rhetoric would be reduced,"

"It naturally raises cynicism when you have so many 5-4 decisions from our Supreme Court and 4-3 decisions out of the Florida Supreme Court and that is not healthy, ... But our republic will survive."

"The balance of power is not being maintained in America today, ... The Supreme Court is interpreting the Constitution in derogation of congressional authority."

"And I think he may have a little different view about television, something that I have advocated for more than a decade in the court, ... He's a new generation."

"I believe there is value in rolling up the score,"

"I must say I am not pleased to have to arrange the Senate schedule around the availability of Senators who are running for President."

"I believe the next nomination is going to be a great deal more contentious than the Roberts nomination. I say that because, bubbling just below the surface was a lot of frustration in the hearing that we just concluded."

"[But that is Bush's call, Specter said.] Taking advice is not too hard as long as you get to make the final decision, ... And the Constitution doesn't say the president should do more than take advice."

"There's going to be a great national debate on this subject."

"At any rate, Congress hasn't acted, and that's really what the focus of our hearing is today as to what ought to be done."

"The president's [fiscal year] '07 budget proposal is going to require substantial modifications by the Congress."

"Do you believe today that the right to privacy does exist in the Constitution?"

"If you have a sharp turn in the court you undercut reliance, expectation, and, as Roberts would say, stability,"

"the expectation is that [an announcement] is very imminent."

"The new chief justice will have his work cut out to try and bring consensus to the court, ... There is much to be done to move away from the 5-4 decisions of the court."

"These decisions pose two major problems, ... A lack of stability or predictability in the law because the two cases, decided three years apart, are virtually indistinguishable; and, two, the court's judicial activism in functioning as a super legislature."

"We all have a responsibility to ask probing questions to determine qualification beyond academic and professional standing."