2 Republican Senators Call on Obama to Stop 'Attacks' on Supreme Court
Two Republican senators on Wednesday called on President Obama to stop attacking the Supreme Court, lending support to Chief Justice John Roberts, who took umbrage at the president's criticism of the court's controversial campaign finance decision during his State of the Union address.
Two Republican senators on Wednesday called on President Obama to stop attacking the Supreme Court, lending support to Chief Justice John Roberts, who took umbrage at the president's criticism of the court's controversial campaign finance decision during his State of the Union address.
Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch told Fox News that he agrees with Roberts, who said Tuesday that Obama's address was "very troubling" and that the annual State of the Union speech has "degenerated into a political pep rally."
"Look, it was a political pep rally," Hatch said. "I guess I'm tired of it myself, just bouncing up and down at whatever strikes you as interesting.
"But the president was wrong on the law, he was wrong on the facts and I thought it was unseemly for him to criticize the Supreme Court while they're sitting there," he said.
"I don't blame them if they never come back to another State of the Union," he said of the nine justices, "because they're a separate branch of government. They're not there to be lectured to by the president of the United States."
With six of the justices seated before him in their black robes, Obama scolded the court during his January address for its 5-4 ruling in Citizens United v. The Federal Election Commission that government limits on corporate-funded, independent political broadcasts during elections constituted a violation of free speech.
"I was disappointed and dismayed to hear the president of the United States mischaracterize the decision of the Supreme Court and scold the members of the court in his State of the Union address for something they didn't do," Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said Wednesday.
"If you're going to challenge the Supreme Court in a setting where they have no opportunity to respond or defend themselves, you ought to be absolutely accurate in your criticism," he said.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/10/gop-senator-calls-obama-stop-attacks-supreme-court/
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