‘I can’t help but think, while listening to our colleagues across the aisle, that if flip-flops were an Olympic sport, that there might be some gold medals awarded.’

‘Clearly the stakes are high, and that’s why we’ve decided that the American people should have their voice heard in the selection of this next lifetime appointment.’

WASHINGTON – In remarks in the Senate Judiciary Committee today, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) addressed the opposition from Senate Democrats to giving the American people a voice in the selection of the next Supreme Court Justice. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below, and video of his speech can be found here.

“I can’t help but think, while listening to our colleagues across the aisle, that if flip-flops were an Olympic sport, that there might be some gold medals awarded. It’s really breathtaking. I do, though, believe the debate that we’re having today is an important one, and we should welcome it.”

“Clearly the stakes are high, and that’s why we’ve decided that the American people should have their voice heard in the selection of this next lifetime appointment.”

 “The Senate has clear Constitutional authority to demand this, and my Republican colleagues and I do intend to do the job we were elected to do on the people’s behalf. It’s fair to say our friends across the aisle don’t like this idea. But of course, they’re feigning a lot of outrage. We know they would do exactly the same if the shoe were on the other foot.”

“Our friends claim that our position, the humble proposition that the people should choose who makes that selection, is unprecedented. But it’s simply not the case. No President has filled a vacancy in an election year with divided government as we have today in well over a century.”

“The American people are well into the process of deciding who the next President of the United States will be. They can choose to extend eight years of anemic economic growth, national weakness, and disdain for the Constitution and other institutions that have made our country great, or they can choose a different direction, for the better.”

 “The Supreme Court will have a central role in determining the path we take. And the people should have a voice in that decision, too.”

 Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, is a member of the Senate Judiciary and Finance Committees.