Edward M. Kennedy

“ Robert Bork's America is a land in which women would be forced into back-alley abortions, blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters, rogue police could break down citizens' doors in midnight raids, schoolchildren could not be taught about evolution, writers and artists would be censored at the whim of government, and the doors of the federal courts would be shut on the fingers of millions of citizens for whom the judiciary is often the only protector of the individual rights that are the heart of our democracy. ”

“ There is no question that a very substantial majority of the civil rights community will strongly oppose the nomination of Robert Bork to be Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
The confirmation of Robert Bork, an ultra-conservative, would dramatically alter the balance of the Supreme Court, putting in jeopardy the civil rights achievements of the past three decades. Well established law could overnight be substantially eroded or overturned.
This is the most historic moment of the Reagan presidency. Senators will never cast a more important and far-reaching vote. ”

“ Indeed, this decision will profoundly influence the law of the land well into the 21st century.
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States federal government (see 17 U.S.C. 105) . ”