Preserve the Balance
Team Supreme Blog
Party Crasher
This morning we learned that Senator Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) had become the first, and possibly the only, member of his party to vote against the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court.
If we still need to ask why, Senator Chafee made it clear by quoting from Roe:
"These matters, involving the most intimate and personal choices a person may make in a lifetime, choices central to personal dignity and autonomy, are central to the liberty protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. At the heart of liberty is the right to define one's own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life."
Sounds good, doesn’t it? So good, in fact, and so basic to our understanding of our Constitution, that Justice Kennedy quoted it in Lawrence, the case that invalidated sodomy laws and affirmed the personal dignity of millions of GLBT people.
So the question is not why Senator Chafee announced his intention to vote against Judge Alito, but why so many of his colleagues have not done so. Moderates should stand by the principle that our Constitution—our great national promise to ourselves—is an expansive document. Conservatives should be deeply troubled by the idea of a government so large that it can invade our bedrooms and conduct surveillance of peaceful, law-abiding citizens without a warrant.
Senator Chafee proved that fairness knows no party and that a senator is not a rubber stamp. Who will join him? Stay tuned.
If we still need to ask why, Senator Chafee made it clear by quoting from Roe:
"These matters, involving the most intimate and personal choices a person may make in a lifetime, choices central to personal dignity and autonomy, are central to the liberty protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. At the heart of liberty is the right to define one's own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life."
Sounds good, doesn’t it? So good, in fact, and so basic to our understanding of our Constitution, that Justice Kennedy quoted it in Lawrence, the case that invalidated sodomy laws and affirmed the personal dignity of millions of GLBT people.
So the question is not why Senator Chafee announced his intention to vote against Judge Alito, but why so many of his colleagues have not done so. Moderates should stand by the principle that our Constitution—our great national promise to ourselves—is an expansive document. Conservatives should be deeply troubled by the idea of a government so large that it can invade our bedrooms and conduct surveillance of peaceful, law-abiding citizens without a warrant.
Senator Chafee proved that fairness knows no party and that a senator is not a rubber stamp. Who will join him? Stay tuned.
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