THANK YOU. LET ME JOIN MY COLLEAGUES AND EXTENDING A WARM WELCOME TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NOMINATION. I ENJOYED SITTING DOWN WITH YOU RECENTLY AND TALKING ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCES BOTH AS A LAWYER AND JUDGE AND HOW THAT MOLDED YOUR VIEWS OF OUR JUDICIAL SYSTEM. IN THE COMING DAYS I HOPE WE CAN HAVE A CANDID CONVERSATION ABOUT YOUR RECORD AND YOUR JUDICIAL PHILOSOPHY. AS I TOLD YOU THE OTHER DAY THESE PROCEEDINGS WILL BE THOROUGH BUT CIVIL. AS A MEMBER OF THIS COMMITTEE I HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE ADVICE AND CONSENT ON SEVEN PREVIOUS SUPREME COURT NOMINATIONS. THIS IS NUMBER EIGHT. I HAVE SEEN THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY WHEN IT COMES TO THE WAY THE SENATE CONDUCTS THESE PROCEEDINGS AND SO HAVE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I THINK COMES FROM THIS PROCESS IS I THINK THIS IS A TEACHABLE MOMENT THAT WILL REMIND ALL OF US OF THE WISDOM OF THE FOUNDERS WHO WROTE A CONSTITUTION THAT MADE SURE OUR RIGHTS WOULD BE FIXED AND CERTAIN. SO THAT THESE RIGHTS, WHETHER THEY ARE THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS OR THE RIGHT TO PRACTICE ONE'S FAITH, WOULD BE PRESERVED FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION. AS YOU KNOW, THE FOUNDERS ESTABLISHED THREE SEPARATE BRANCHES OF OUR GOVERNMENT, A SYSTEM OF CHECKS AND BALANCES, IF YOU WILL. THIS WAS DONE FOR THE PURPOSE OF PRESERVING INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM AND AVOIDING TYRANNY AND ENSURE THAT OUR GOVERNMENT WAS ULTIMATELY ACCOUNTABLE TO THE PEOPLE FOR WHOM ALL POLITICAL POWER DERIVES. ARTICLE THREE VESTS THE SUPREME COURT AND INFERIOR COURTS WITH JUDICIAL POWER. BUT THE FRAMERS WERE VERY CLEAR. THE COURTS ARE NOT VESTED WITH A POLICYMAKING AUTHORITY. ACCORDING TO OUR CONSTITUTION, COURTS HEAR CASES AND CONTROVERSIES AND DECIDE THEM, NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS. THAT IS AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION TO REMEMBER IN THE DAYS THAT LIE AHEAD. THE FRAMERS ENVISIONED THE COURTS WOULD HAVE A MODEST BUT VERY IMPORTANT ROLE IN OUR THREE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT. YOU WILL RECALL FEDERALIST 78 WHERE ALEXANDER HAMILTON SAID THE COURTS WOULD HAVE NO INFLUENCE OVER EITHER THE SWORD OR THE PURSE AND THAT IT MAY TRULY BE SAID TO HAVE NEITHER FORCE NOR WILL, BUT MERELY JUDGMENT. PART OF THAT JUDGMENT REQUIRES A JUDGE TO GO WHERE THE LAW COMMANDS WHETHER OR NOT YOU PERSONALLY APPROVE OR NOT. AND IT STARTS WITH DECIDING CASES AS PRESENTED AND NOT CHERRY PICKING THE FACTS OR THE LAW AND STARTING WITH THE DECISION AND THEN JUSTIFYING IT BY CHERRY PICKED FACTS AND PROVISIONS OF THE LAW. THE FRAMERS PROVIDED THE PRESIDENT WOULD NOMINATE JUDGES. THE FRAMERS ALSO SET UP A FRAMEWORK THAT ALLOWED JUDGES ONCE CONFIRMED TO EXERCISE INDEPENDENT JUDGMENT FREE FROM ELECTIONS AND POLITICS. THESE SUPREME COURT CONFIRMATION HEARINGS ARE REALLY THE ONLY CHANCE WE HAVE AS REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PEOPLE TO VET SOMEBODY WHO WILL SERVE THE REMAINDER OF THEIR LIFE. UNFORTUNATELY, THERE ARE SOME DRIVEN BY THEIR IDEOLOGY THAT WHAT THE SUPREME COURT TO DO MORE THAN WHAT I DESCRIBED. THESE ARE SOME OF THE SAME PEOPLE WHO TRIED TO BULLY JUSTICE BREYER INTO EARLY RETIREMENT. THESE ACTIVISTS DEMAND THE COURT MAKE POLICY AND DELIVER RESULTS THAT THEY CANNOT ACHIEVE THROUGH THE DELIBERATION, COMPROMISE, AND ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE OF LEGISLATIVE POLITICS. AND WHEN THE COURT DOES NOT DELIVER THE RESULTS THEY WANT THEY ATTACK ITS INSTITUTIONAL INTEGRITY AND LEGITIMACY. IN RECENT YEARS, THESE RADICAL VIEWS HAVE MADE THEIR WAY INTO THE MAINSTREAM. ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL PRESIDENT BIDEN REFUSED TO DISAVOW COURT PACKING. TWO YEARS AGO THE DEMOCRATIC LEADER OF THE SENATE WENT TO THE SUPREME COURT STEPS AND THREATENED TWO SUPREME COURT JUSTICES BY NAME IF THEY DID NOT RULE IN A PARTICULAR WAY. DARK MONEY GROUPS LIKE DEMAND JUSTICE HAVE PAID MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO PROMOTE COURT PACKING AND SOW PUBLIC DISTRUST IN THE LEGITIMACY OF THE SUPREME COURT. JUSTICE BREYER AS YOU KNOW RECENTLY WARNED OF THE CRIPPLING EFFECT THIS POLITICALIZATION OF THE COURT AND ITS DECISION-MAKING CAN HAVE. HE SAID, "WITHOUT THE PUBLIC'S TRUST, THE COURT WOULD NO LONGER BE ABLE TO ACT AS A CHECK ON THE OTHER BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT, AND A GUARANTOR OF THE RULE OF LAW THREATENING THE FOUNDATIONS OF OUR CONSTITUTIONAL SYSTEM." JUDGE, I KNOW THAT YOU KNOW THAT THE COURTS ARE NOT DESIGNED TO DELIVER PARTICULAR POLICY OUTCOMES OR TO INVENT NEW RIGHTS OUT OF WHOLE CLOTH. THAT IS WHY IT IS IMPERATIVE WE EXPLORE YOUR JUDICIAL PHILOSOPHY DURING THIS HEARING. I WILL SAY I WAS A BIT TROUBLED THAT YOU HAVE NOT, SO FAR, PROVIDED US WITH MUCH CLARITY ON THAT MATTER. SOMEONE AS ACCOMPLISHED AS YOU ARE WHO SPENT YEARS ENGAGING AND THINKING ABOUT OUR CONSTITUTION AND LAWS HAS SURELY FORMED A JUDICIAL PHILOSOPHY. THIS IS NOT YOUR FIRST RODEO. YOU HAD AN IMPRESSIVE CAREER JUDGE AS A SUPREME COURT CLERK, APPELLATE ADVOCATE AND TRIAL COURT JUDGE. I LIKE THE FACT YOU HAVE HAD SUCH BROAD EXPERIENCE IN OUR JUDICIAL AND LEGAL SYSTEM. BUT THERE IS STILL UNANSWERED QUESTIONS THAT REMAIN. I AM A BIT TROUBLED BY SOME OF THE POSITIONS YOU HAVE TAKEN AND ARGUMENTS YOU HAVE MADE REPRESENTING PEOPLE WHO HAVE COMMITTED TERRORIST ACTS AGAINST THE UNITED STATES AND OTHER DANGEROUS CRIMINALS. AS SOMEONE WHO HAS DEEP RESPECT FOR THE ADVERSARIAL SYSTEM OF JUSTICE, I UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF ZEALOUS ADVOCACY. BUT IT APPEARS THAT SOMETIMES THIS ADVOCACY HAS GONE BEYOND THE PALE AND IN SOME INSTANCES IT APPEARS YOUR ADVOCACY HAS BLED OVER INTO YOUR DECISION-MAKING PROCESS AS A JUDGE. YOU HAVE HAD SOME CASES REVERSED, LIKE ALL JUDGES DO, BUT SOME OF THEM WERE PARTICULARLY HIGH PROFILE WHEN YOU RULED AGAINST A REPUBLICAN ADMINISTRATION. I AM EAGER TO UNDERSTAND WHY, IN SOME INSTANCES, YOU FOUND YOU COULD NOT DECIDE A PARTICULAR ISSUE WHILE IN OTHERS YOU JOINED THE REPUBLICAN ADMINISTRATION FROM IMPLEMENTING ITS POLICIES. I AM ALSO INTERESTED AS OTHERS HAVE MENTIONED IN YOUR OPINION WHY PRO-ABORTION DARK MONEY GROUPS LIKE DEMAND JUSTICE AND ANTI-RELIGIOUS LIBERTY GROUPS ARE POURING MILLIONS OF INTO A DOLLARS PUBLIC CAMPAIGN IN SUPPORT OF YOUR NOMINATION. JUDGE JACKSON, THESE ARE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS I HAVE. I ASSURE YOU, YOU WILL HAVE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THESE CONCERNS AS THE COMMITTEE EVALUATES YOUR ABILITY TO FAIRLY AND IMPARTIALLY DELIVER JUSTICE SHOULD YOU BE CONFIRMED. SO, I WELCOME YOUR TESTIMONY AT THESE HEARINGS. I LOOK FORWARD TO OUR GIVE AND TAKE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 