This was a debate that powerful special interests had been able to prevent, until now, … We have garnered more support than anyone thought possible just a few months ago when we began this effort.

deeply disturbed by some statements that were made by largely Democratic advocacy groups. …

The U.S. Supreme Court has looked at this, the Florida Supreme Court has looked at this. Basically they end up saying, ‘Let’s count the ballots.’ I don’t want partisan party line votes in the House...

The president has based that decision based on what he’s seen her do in the White House. We ought to at least know what she did in the White House.

I do not want somebody who’s going to fulfill a right-wing litmus test,

Suppose they felt that the rescue operations of the government, whether it’s state, local or federal, was being handled in an inept way, or evacuees are being mistreated. Does that give them a right to...

I find it very, very troubling, and I think most of Congress would,

he said. ”But I really didn’t come here to win a popularity contest. I came here to do what I thought was right.

Data banks offer powerful tools for security screening, but they also raise privacy dangers.

I would hope they would look at the record that was made during the last Congress going over his background, the number of times he was reversed on cases, the number of times he did...

has gone way beyond anything that the United States said it would tolerate.

The need for congressional oversight is not — as some mistakenly describe it — to protect terrorists, … It is to protect Americans and protect our American freedoms that you and everyone in this room...

I said, ‘Would you disavow people who send out assurances that they know how you’re going to vote?’ She said, ‘Absolutely,’ … She said, ‘I will be my own person, I will be independent. Nobody...

None of us wants it to expire, and those who threaten to let it expire rather than fix it are playing a dangerous game.

This president is in the midst of a radical realignment of the powers of the government and its intrusiveness into the private lives of Americans. This nomination is part of that plan. I am concerned...

It is regrettable that our government’s abysmal coordination in the early days of the recovery effort has prevented critical international aid from being delivered to our stricken citizens and communities in the affected Gulf States,...

We need to consider nominations as thoroughly and carefully as the American people deserve. No one is entitled to a free pass to a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court.

a flexible plan that includes pulling our troops back from the densely populated areas where they are suffering the worst casualties and to bring them home.

It is critical . . . that we not prejudge a nominee,

I am troubled by reports that this narrow law has been twisted from one of a specific statute to secure testimony, into a broad detention authority that has resulted in some notorious abuses,

[Congress has] the power to declare war. Do we have the power to terminate war?

The comments I’ve heard range from ‘incomplete’ to ‘insulting.’ Certainly it was inadequate, … We will need to have more.

Our goal is to mend it or extend it, not end it.

You can’t ask how are you going to rule on upcoming cases, but there is no reason you can’t ask about various cases from the past,

we’d be done by now.

a train wreck in slow motion.

Virtually anybody who either voted for John Roberts or against John Roberts said the hearings were fair, and they learned enough to make up their mind,

The president probably would not like what is in it. But that’s really immaterial. We didn’t like what he did, so if he doesn’t like what we say, that’s his problem, … Face The Nation.

I think it’s important for his own credibility

Why is it that the far right said she had to be withdrawn because they could not be sure how she would vote, but these same people within minutes of his nomination strongly favored him?

[Several Democratic senators were concerned about Roberts’ evident willingness to strike down Congressional statutes.] When we discuss the Constitution’s commerce clause or spending power, … we’re asking about congressional authority to pass laws to ensure...

I would hope all senators, Republicans and Democrats, would ask very substantive questions because this is, after all, a lifetime position.

I take him at his word that he will steer the court to serve as an appropriate check on potential abuses of presidential power.

intent on reversing decades of policies on civil rights, voting rights, women’s rights, privacy and access to justice.

This hearing is the only opportunity for the American people to examine what kind of justice John Roberts will dispense.

I wanted to make sure he understands there’s a lot of discrimination in the United States today. We have laws that try to redress that and is he going to be open to the application...

Now the Senate has to rise to the challenge and do its work, … No one is entitled to a free pass to a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court.

I felt better after I said it.

The amount of time is less important than the good-faith effort that will be needed in improving the Patriot Act to strike the right balance in respecting Americans liberty and privacy, while protecting their security.

Nobody is above the law, not even the president of the United States. This is against the law.

These trap and trace orders, though, were not used to identify or record the contents of the communication,

With Enron and WorldCom and others, this is the last time in the world that the Senate should weaken conflict-of-interest standards.

definitely somebody who has a very clear philosophical legal view.

Members of this committee have asked a number of questions of Mr. Flanigan about these incidents, but each set of responses leads to more questions.

It would be a mistake to be decided by Congress. It should be decided by the voters.

You’ve said [Justice Robert H. Jackson] was one of the justices you admire the most.

We have reached the point that if you have a medical record, credit card or computer, you have a privacy problem,

The president cites Judge Roberts’ work in this post as one of the reasons he made this nomination, and the committee will want to square these varying accounts to get as close to the truth...

settled law of the land.

Life would be a lot easier if he’d be more forthcoming.