Bush, Leahy Talk Judges
On the opening day of the U.S. Supreme Court’s new term, President George W. Bush in a speech to the Federalist Society in Cincinnati trumpeted his belief that judges should “faithfully interpret the Constitution” and the two justices he appointed to the high court. Bush said judges should “not use the courts to invent laws or dictate social policy.” Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued a statement criticizing Bush’s appointments of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Samuel A. Alito. “During the Bush-Cheney administration, the Supreme Court has been siding with big corporations at the expense of workers, consumers, injured Americans and investors,” Leahy said. Leahy’s committee has conducted several hearings on the impact of federal court decisions on the lives of Americans.