SENTINEL WATCH August 1, 2005 Issue

HIGHER EXPECTATIONS FOR THE CONFIRMATION PROCESS

RICHARD NENNEMAN

JUSTICE SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR'S impending retirement from the United States Supreme Court has been followed by newspaper headlines of a "high court fight" and a looming "confirmation battle." Before accepting these predictions of future strife in the political process, we should be asking ourselves, Should I agree to them? Is a fight inevitable?

What I find myself yearning for is a display of intelligence and harmony in the selection and the hearings leading up to the confirmation of the next justice. In his first presidential campaign, President Bush said of himself that he was "a uniter, not a divider." This is an opportune moment to put those words into action in a way that can actually heal some of the divisions that persist today.

It is time to put into action, at least in our own thinking and prayers, the prophet Isaiah's words, "Come now, and let us reason together" (1:18). While there are important cultural and political issues on which people have strong opinions, it would help to step back and recognize that these very issues may pale in importance in the 10 or 20 or more years a new justice will serve. No one knows what will seem most vital for the reputaion of the Court over a period of several decades. It is the qualities of thought—in essence, the character—of the new justice that should most concern us.