Arlen Specter Justice Quotations

The solicitor general is sometimes referred to as the 10th Supreme Court justice - a pretty important position.

There is a possibility of a third vacancy with Justice Stevens, that has been rumored, ... He is 85, but in good health. But if that comes in the next year -- with three new justices -- a shift in the court. And that's a problem for both the right and the left.

There is a little different approach in confirmation of the chief justice, ... I'm concerned about the conferences, about bringing the court together.

Senator Reid is entitled to his opinion, but he's not the president of the United States, and he doesn't administer justice in this country,

One of the things that I talked to her about was the complexity of a Supreme Court nomination hearing because there are a lot of complicated issues. And I said to her, 'You've got a pretty good road map in what went on with Chief Justice Roberts.

It is my hope that the president will now send us a nominee for Justice O'Connor's spot in the mold of Judge Roberts,

I would hope that the chief justice would work for consensus,

As the record shows, I have supported every one of President Bush's nominees in the Judiciary Committee and on the Senate floor. I have never and would never apply any litmus test on the abortion issue and, as the record shows, I have voted to confirm Chief Justice (William) Rehnquist, Justice (Sandra Day) O'Connor, and Justice (Anthony) Kennedy and led the fight to confirm Justice (Clarence) Thomas.

Isn't there a lack of respect for Congress demonstrated by the Supreme Court, as Justice Scalia points out that it is 'ill advised' for the court to set itself up as 'taskmaster' to determine that Congress has done its 'homework'?

The word is that the justices very much applaud his nomination to be chief justice, ... He has the potential, almost from a running start, to bring a new day and a new era to the Supreme Court.

Do you regard the evolution of various interpretations on liberty as a living thing, as Justice Harlan did, and as Justice Rehnquist appeared to on the Miranda issue?

Your prospective stewardship of the court, which could last until the year 2040 or longer ... and would present a very unique opportunity for a new chief justice to rebuild the image of the court away from what many believe it has become as super legislature.

Your prospective stewardship of the court, which could last until 2040 or longer ... would present a very unique opportunity for a new chief justice to rebuild the image of the court away from what many believe it has become as a super-legislature and bring consensus to the court,

It's an opportunity to have a different approach of collegiality, ... I argued a case in the Supreme Court a few years back and Chief Justice Rehnquist ran a stopwatch, interrupted in mid-sentence. The word is he was looking for a way to interrupt somebody in the middle of the word 'if.'

The next chief justice will have the potential to change the court's image in the eyes of many as a superlegislature and to bring consensus to the court which has made a hallmark of 5-4 decisions, many of which are inexplicable.

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.

The new chief justice will have his work cut out.

Because of enormous public importance of the upcoming mayoral election, the Department of Justice should release all information concerning the issue related to the bugging of Mayor Street's office, so long as no potential defendant's rights are compromised and no harm will come to any pending investigation.

Chief Justice Roberts has great potential for the future to bring a consensus to the court, to have a better recognition of congressional authority and, as he put it, to understand the Constitution responding to the changes in the ages and responding to societal conditions.

Chief Justice Rehnquist's death marks the passing of a great American,

the chief justice is not going to leave, because I think that every day he goes to work knowing he has very important work to do.