Hi, folks. Joe Biden here and I'm sitting with Tim Lewis, a retired1 federal judge who was nominated to the bench by a Republican President and confirmed by a Democratic Senate - within four weeks of a presidential election.
Hello, everyone. That's right. And I'm living proof that President Obama's nominee2 to the Supreme3 Court Chief Judge Merrick Garland-deserves similar consideration by today's Senate.
Not only because Merrick Garland is recognized I might know - without exception - by the right and the left as one of America's sharpest legal minds and a model of integrity. But also because that's what the Constitution requires.
The sitting President shall-not may-but shall nominate someone to fill a vacancy4 on the Supreme Court, with the advice and consent of the Senate. That includes consulting and voting.
Here's how it works. For 17 years, I was chairman or the ranking member of the top opposition5 party person and Senate Judiciary Committee, which overseas nominations7 to the Court, all court, all federal courts. I presided over nine supreme court nominees-more than anyone alive. Some I supported. Others I didn't. 作文網(wǎng)推薦，<A http://www.zequeka.cn>易優(yōu)作文網(wǎng)</a>，中小學(xué)生學(xué)語(yǔ)文閱讀寫(xiě)作的好幫手
But every nominee was greeted by committee members. Every nominee got a committee hearing. Every nominee got out of the committee to the Senate floor, even when a nominee did'nt receive under the law's majority support in my committee to be reported out.
As I thought the senate should advise the scene not the committee, And every nominee, including Justice Kennedy - in an election year-got an up or down vote by the Senate. Not much of the time. Not most of the time. Every single time. That's the Constitution's clear rule of Advice and Consent. And that's the rule being violated today by Senate Republicans.
Nobody is suggesting that Senators have to vote "yes" on a nominee. Voting "no" is always an option for any senetor. But saying nothing, seeing nothing, reading nothing, hearing nothing, and deciding in advance, to simply to turn your back-is not an option the Constitution leaves open to United States.
And it has real consequences for all of us. In the four months since Merrick Garland's nomination6, we've already seen how the Senate's refusal to act is preventing the Court from fulfilling its duty of interpreting what the law is and resolving conflicts in lower courts. 易優(yōu)作文網(wǎng)，中小學(xué)學(xué)生學(xué)作文的好網(wǎng)站（http://www.zequeka.cn）。
This historic obstruction8 is leading to greater litigation costs and delays the burden falling mostly on average Americans rather than corporations with endless resources. Unresolved decisions by the Supreme Court are leading to federal laws that should apply to the whole country being constitutional in some parts but unconstitutional in others.
If this continues, our freedom of speech, our freedom to practice our faith, our right to vote, our right to privacy-all could depend on where we happen to live. And the longer the vacancy remains9 unfilled, the more serious the problem-with greater confusion and uncertainty10 about our safety and security.
You know, if you have eight Justices on a court, Justice Scalia himself wrote, that it raises the, "possibility that, by reason of a tie vote, the Court will find itself unable to resolve the significant legal issues presented by the case." And if Republican Senators fail to act, it could be an entire year before a fully11 staffed Supreme Court can resolve any significant issue before it. 在線批改作文，<a href=http://www.zequeka.cn/jiaoshoulanmu/>易優(yōu)名師作文批改</a>
Folks, there's enough dysfunction in Washington, D.C. Now is not the time for it to spread that dysfunction from the Congress to the Supreme Court. And we're better than what we're seeing.
As a country, we're only as strong as the traditions we value- that we sustain by dedicating ourselves to something bigger than ourselves.
Folks, the defining difference of our great democracy has always been that we can reason our way through to what ails12 us and then act as citizens, voters, and public servants to fix it.
But we have to act in good faith. For unless we can find common ground, we cannot govern. So for the sake of the country we love-we all have to do our job. The President has done his. The Senate Republicans must do theirs.
Thanks for listening and hope you have a great weekend.
1 retired
作文培訓(xùn)網(wǎng)站推薦，<a http://www.zequeka.cn>易優(yōu)作文網(wǎng)</a>。
adj.隱退的，退休的，退役的
參考例句：
The old man retired to the country for rest.這位老人下鄉(xiāng)休息去了。 Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.許多退休的人都以從事園藝為嗜好。
2 nominee
n.被提名者；被任命者；被推薦者
參考例句：
His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副總統(tǒng)在兩輪投票后才當(dāng)選。 Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政書(shū)記職位的正式提名人。
3 supreme
提升作文素養(yǎng)，尋找作文素材，就來(lái)<A http://www.zequeka.cn/yuwEnsuyang/>易優(yōu)作文素養(yǎng)</a>。
adj.極度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的
參考例句：
It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的時(shí)刻。 He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起訴書(shū)送交最高法院。
4 vacancy
n.（旅館的）空位，空房，（職務(wù)的）空缺
參考例句：
Her going on maternity leave will create a temporary vacancy.她休產(chǎn)假時(shí)將會(huì)有一個(gè)臨時(shí)空缺。 The vacancy of her expression made me doubt if she was listening.她茫然的神情讓我懷疑她是否在聽(tīng)。
5 opposition
n.反對(duì)，敵對(duì)
參考例句：
The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.該黨領(lǐng)袖在自己的黨內(nèi)遇到了反對(duì)。 The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察設(shè)法制住了那個(gè)囚犯的反抗。
6 nomination
n.提名，任命，提名權(quán)
參考例句：
John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.約翰最有希望被提名為俱樂(lè)部主席。 Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示贊成他的提名。
7 nominations
n.提名，任命( nomination的名詞復(fù)數(shù) )
參考例句：
Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 為黨主席職位征集候選人。 來(lái)自《簡(jiǎn)明英漢詞典》 Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 許多消息報(bào)道都圍繞著1960年、1964年和1968年他為爭(zhēng)取提名為共和黨總統(tǒng)候選人所做努力的失敗。 來(lái)自辭典例句
8 obstruction
n.阻塞，堵塞；障礙物
參考例句：
She was charged with obstruction of a police officer in the execution of his duty.她被指控妨礙警察執(zhí)行任務(wù)。 The road was cleared from obstruction.那條路已被清除了障礙。
9 remains
n.剩余物，殘留物；遺體，遺跡
參考例句：
He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。 The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.殘羹剩飯喂狗了。
10 uncertainty
n.易變，靠不住，不確知，不確定的事物
參考例句：
Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批評(píng)將會(huì)使局勢(shì)更加不穩(wěn)定。 After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6個(gè)星期的忐忑不安后，壓力開(kāi)始產(chǎn)生影響了。
11 fully
adv.完全地，全部地，徹底地；充分地
參考例句：
The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.醫(yī)生讓我先吸氣，然后全部呼出。 They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他們很快就完全融入了當(dāng)?shù)厝说娜ψ?。
12 ails
v.生病( ail的第三人稱單數(shù) )；感到不舒服；處境困難；境況不佳
參考例句：
He will not concede what anything ails his business. 他不允許任何事情來(lái)干擾他的工作。 來(lái)自《現(xiàn)代英漢綜合大詞典》 Measles ails the little girl. 麻疹折磨著這個(gè)小女孩。 來(lái)自《簡(jiǎn)明英漢詞典》
