Several quotations relevant to the coming struggle between Senate Democrats and President Bush over filling one or more empty seats on the Supreme Court:
"He (the president) shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States ... ."
_U.S. Constitution Article II, Section 2
"The Constitution, through its `advice and consent' clause, makes the president and the Senate equal partners in both the appointment and confirmation of federal judges."
_Nan Aron, president of the Alliance for Justice, a liberal group.
"The text of the Constitution ... contemplates no formal role for the Senate as an institution, let alone individual senators, to advise on selecting justices of the Supreme Court."
_Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas
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(c) 2005, Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
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