2006年VOA标准英语-Battle Over Bush Supreme Court Pick Begins

By Jim Malone
Washington
09 January 2006

 
Supreme¹ Court nominee² Samuel Alito, second from right, prepares to testify on Capitol Hill
  
Politics and the law intersect in Washington this week as the Senate holds confirmation³ hearings for President Bush's choice for the Supreme Court, federal appeals court Judge Samuel Alito.  The president and both major political parties have a lot at stake in the Alito nomination⁴.

------------------------------------

Supreme Court appointments are for life and they often shape the historical legacies⁵ of the presidents who make them.

It is up to the Senate to confirm Supreme Court nominees⁶ after public hearings held by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

As the committee opened hearings on Judge Alito, President Bush urged his confirmation at the White House.

"He has got the judicial⁷ temperament⁸ to make sure that the court is a body that interprets the law, and does not try to write the law," said Mr. Bush.

Judge Alito has served on the federal bench for 15 years and his lengthy⁹ record of rulings and statements will be examined closely during the hearings.

Conservatives are excited by his nomination, seeing it as the fulfillment of a campaign promise made by Mr. Bush to appoint conservative jurists to the high court.

Most opposition¹⁰ Democrats¹² say they will make a decision after the confirmation hearings.  But many liberals are alarmed by some of his past rulings and statements on abortion¹³, civil rights, and executive power.

When he was nominated by President Bush, Judge Alito said he was committed to interpreting the law without political influence.

"Our dedication¹⁴, as a free and open society, to liberty and opportunity and, as it says above the entrance to the Supreme Court, equal justice under law," said Mr. Alito.

Democrats vow¹⁵ to carefully question Judge Alito about his views on civil rights, abortion and balance of power issues involving the courts, the president and the Congress.

Patrick Leahy is the top Democrat¹¹ on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"The challenge for Judge Alito in the course of these hearings is to demonstrate that he is going to protect the rights and liberties of all Americans, and in doing that, serve as an effective check on government overreaching," said Mr. Leahy.

If confirmed, Judge Alito would be President Bush's second appointment to the Supreme Court and could help shift the court in a more conservative direction.

Conservatives were pleased with the president's first appointment, Chief Justice John Roberts, who won the votes of half of the Senate Democrats when he was confirmed last year.

Some political analysts¹⁷ predict it will be difficult for Judge Alito to win that many Democratic votes, though most experts still expect that he will be confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate.

University of Virginia analyst¹⁶ Larry Sabato says any vacancy¹⁸ on the closely divided Supreme Court is bound to spark an intense political battle over confirmation.

"In modern times, each of these nine positions on the Supreme Court has become enormously important.  Many of the decisions of the court are five to four, so every new appointment really matters," he noted¹⁹.

The Alito nomination is particularly significant because he would replace the court's leading moderate voice, retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Justice O'Connor has often cast the deciding vote in controversial cases that were settled in five to four decisions by the nine-member court.  Justice O'Connor became the first woman on the Supreme Court when she was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981.

Mary Cheh is a law professor at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

"And Justice O'Connor, although she was appointed by President Reagan, a Republican and conservative, has supported a woman's right to an abortion, she supported affirmative action, in some cases she had been questioning the death penalty, she has tried to draw a line about the mixing of religion in governmental activities, and in all these areas, Judge Alito goes in the opposite direction," she explained.

The Alito nomination has also sparked an intense battle among interest groups both in favor and opposed to his appointment.  Groups across the political spectrum²⁰ are running television, radio and newspaper advertisements seeking to influence the Senate confirmation process.

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

3 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

4 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

5 legacies   

n.遗产( legacy的名词复数 )；遗留之物；遗留问题；后遗症

参考例句：

• Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to mankind. 书是伟大的天才留给人类的精神财富。 来自辞典例句
• General legacies are subject to the same principles as demonstrative legacies. 一般的遗赠要与指定数目的遗赠遵循同样的原则。 来自辞典例句

6 nominees   

n.被提名者，被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网

7 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

8 temperament   

n.气质，性格，性情

参考例句：

• The analysis of what kind of temperament you possess is vital.分析一下你有什么样的气质是十分重要的。
• Success often depends on temperament.成功常常取决于一个人的性格。

9 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

10 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

11 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

12 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

14 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

15 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

16 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

17 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

18 vacancy   

n.（旅馆的）空位，空房，（职务的）空缺

参考例句：

• Her going on maternity leave will create a temporary vacancy.她休产假时将会有一个临时空缺。
• The vacancy of her expression made me doubt if she was listening.她茫然的神情让我怀疑她是否在听。

19 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

20 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。