Considering the Role of Judges Under the Constitution of the United States

First, I just want to express my appreciation to both Justice Scalia and Justice Breyer for being back here in the Senate Judiciary Committee. In recent months, there has been renewed focus on our Constitution. Almost every week, I open the newspaper or see an electronic posting that involves some radical invocation of the Constitution that certainly differs from what I was taught at Georgetown Law Center many years ago. It could be someone suggesting that Congress should just get rid of dozens of judges if that strikes our fancy, or it might be the assertion that the three branches of our Federal Government are not of equal importance under the Constitution; or even the assertion that our fundamental charter was drafted solely to limit the Federal Government's ability to solve national problems. These comments show the need for more opportunities to increase understanding of our democracy. That is what gave me the idea to invite two of the Nation's leading jurists to speak with us today about the role that judges play under our Constitution.