automail from Jim Talent

[pstokely]

Dear M. Vinner:

Thank you for contacting me with your thoughts on the nomination of
Judge John Roberts to the Supreme Court. I appreciate the time you have
taken to share your views with me, and I welcome the opportunity to
respond.

The President has nominated a person with an outstanding judicial
record after an unprecedented amount of consultation with the Senate.
Judge Roberts was confirmed by the Senate for his current job by unanimous
consent. His record needs to be thoroughly vetted, but he has and
should have an inside track for confirmation.

My belief is that the Senate should exercise a check rather than a veto
in judicial nominations. I vote to confirm nominees if they are
qualified and competent, and if their jurisprudence reflects a widely held
view of American law. Basically this means that if a nominee has enjoyed
reasonable success in a field of law or legal education over a number
of years, I will vote to confirm him or her, unless there is credible
evidence that the nominee is dishonest or has a jurisprudence that is
outside of any of the mainstreams of American law. My view recognizes
that the legal community is split over certain jurisprudential issues and
that a nominee may be qualified for the bench even if I do not agree
with his positions in every respect.

My hope is that the Senate will proceed expeditiously to a fair
hearing and vote on this nomination. I also hope that everyone will treat
Judge Roberts with respect and avoid personal attacks during the
confirmation process.

Again thank you for contacting me. I will continue to monitor the
situation because I strongly believe that the President's nominee should
receive an up-or-down vote.

Thank you for your email. To contact me on this or any other subject,
please go to http://talent.senate.gov/Contact/default.cfm

Sincerely,