Thursday, September 21, 2017

Franken and Feinstein's Religious Tests for Judges

By Douglas V. Gibbs
Author, Speaker, Instructor, Radio Host

Article VI. of the United States Constitution states that "no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."

On September 6, Amy Barrett, Trump's nomination for the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was questioned by Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat Party Senator from California.  In the questioning, Feinstein targeted Barrett's faith as being unacceptable.

Feinstein is not the only one using the Democrat Party's hatred of Christianity or conservatism against judicial nominees.  Senator Al Franken, Democrat from Minnesota, is doing the same.

Could you imagine if a Republican, during the confirmation process of one of Obama's nominees, was to say something like, "Your secularism is a concern," or "I worry because your Islamic beliefs live loudly within you."

In the case of Feinstein, when referring to Barrett's faith, she said, “The dogma lives loudly within you, and that’s a concern.”

"Franken is trying to block the Judiciary Committee from even reviewing Justice Stras’ sterling record, and his refusal to return the blue slip for Justice Stras is unacceptable,” said Carrie Severino, chief counsel and policy director of the Judicial Crisis Network.

“By not returning his blue slip, Sen. Franken is choosing Washington politics over the people of Minnesota.”

In a statement released Sept. 5, Franken attacked Trump for relying on conservative organizations, such as the Federalist Society and The Heritage Foundation, for judicial nominees.

“But as I have familiarized myself with Justice Stras’ record—not just his past decisions, but his professional experience and past statements—I have grown concerned that, if confirmed to the federal bench, Justice Stras would be a deeply conservative jurist in the mold of Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia, justices who the nominee himself has identified as role models,” Franken said.

Feinstein used the word dogma, and Franken believes conservatism to be an unacceptable "dogma," as well.  Feinstein is essentially saying that "No Catholics Need Apply," (which can be extended to "No Christians who are staunch in their faith need apply"), and Franken is proclaiming "No Conservatives Need Apply."

Feinstein tried to defend her controversial statements that attacked one of President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees because of her religious faith, thus, running contrary to constitutionality, saying that she attended Catholic schools for four years when growing up.

“I think Catholicism is a great religion,” Feinstein said, “I have great respect for it. I’ve known many of the archbishops that have been in my community.”

Feinstein said she has spoken with the archbishops for decades and said she has “tried to be helpful to the church.” She said Barrett, a Notre Dame law school professor, doesn’t have any court experience and doesn’t have a record.

“She’s a professor, which is fine, but all we have to look at are her writings, and in her writings, she makes some statements, which are questionable,” the California Democrat said.

Feinstein couldn’t recall the direct quote that worried her from Barrett, but paraphrased Barrett in saying that “a Catholic judge cannot be independent.”

Feinstein's statement about lack of judicial experience is also contrary to the U.S. Constitution.  The Constitution does not state that a judge has to have judicial experience, and in reality, during the debates over the U.S. Constitution, it was considered to not allow lawyers and judges to be Supreme Court or inferior Federal Court judges.  The Founding Fathers feared a judicial oligarchy, which is also why it was originally intended to be the weakest of the three branches of government.

The Daily Signal reports: Travis Weber, director of the Center for Religious Liberty at the Family Research Council, said that  “Sen. Feinstein should apologize for singling out Amy Barrett because of her religious beliefs,” Weber said. “Feinstein’s continued defense of her line of questioning does not hold water. The article co-authored by Amy Barrett that Feinstein claims to have concerns about expressly takes the position that a Catholic should recuse themselves when their religious beliefs conflict with the law.”

“More than one out of every five Americans is Catholic, and that includes a growing Latino population,” said Carrie Severino, chief counsel and policy director of the Judicial Crisis Network. “A nominee’s faith should have nothing to do with his or her qualifications to be a federal judge. Period.”

The liberal left has shown their hate for all opposition, and especially for anyone associated with Donald J. Trump, Christianity, or conservatism. Therefore, they are applauding the Democrat Party's attempt to literally silence and eliminate any and all opposition to the Democrat Party's agenda.  To be honest, the Democrats make for fantastic Marxists.

"The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism." - Karl Marx

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

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