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.