Richard Blumenthal

“ I am deeply concerned that this court is careening toward a precipice that will gravely threaten its role in our history, that it is out of step with America, and that it is losing the trust and respect of the American people that are essential to its authority. Trust in the United States Supreme Court is at a new low. The Supreme Court has no army, no police force to enforce its decisions. Its authority depends on its credibility and the respect and trust of the American people. ”

“ Hopefully too it will make the court think more like America. We will never know in detail all of the challenges and obstacles that you’ve overcome to be here today, but we know for sure that you will bring an important perspective, in fact a unique perspective to a court that deeply needs it.
Representation matters for the legitimacy and credibility of our judicial system. Judges are the face and voice of justice. People walking into your courtroom or any other in this country look to the human being, not just to the robes. ”

“ You’ve had a long career already as a distinguished jurist, in fact, you would bring more experience as a trial judge than any current justice on the Supreme Court.
Now I’d like to address directly the importance of your work as a public defender. I was a prosecutor in law enforcement for a while, four years as U.S. attorney and twenty years as Connecticut’s attorney general, and as a prosecutor I know the system works best when there are good lawyers on both side. My worst nightmare as a prosecutor was a defendant representing himself. ”