GIULIANI ON JUDGES

Many social conservatives are rightly concerned about Rudy Giuliani’s social positions, specifically on what type of judges he’d nominate. Today, we got that answer from Giuliani’s e-campaign. They sent out a transcript of Mayor Giuliani’s statements at South Carolina’s GOP executive committee meeting. Here’s what Mayor Giuliani said:

On the Federal judiciary I would want judges who are strict constructionists because I am. I’m a lawyer. I’ve argued cases in the Supreme Court. I’ve argued cases in the Court of Appeals in different parts of the country. I have a very, very strong view that for this country to work, for our freedoms to be protected, judges have to interpret not invent the Constitution. Otherwise you end up, when judges invent the constitution, with your liberties being hurt. Because legislatures get to make those decisions and the legislature in South Carolina might make that decision one way and the legislature in California a different one. And that’s part of our freedom and when that’s taken away from you that’s terrible. President Bush has the great model because I think as the President he appointed some really good ones and both of them are former colleagues of mine, Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito. Justice Scalia is a former colleague of mine. Somebody that…I think Chief Justice Roberts is a great chief justice and he’s young and he can have a long career and that’s probably the reason the President and Vice President chose him. I think those are the kinds of justices I would appoint: Scalia, Alito and Roberts. If you can find anybody as good as that, you are very, very fortunate.

I suspect that social conservatives will still be wary of Giuliani’s position on social issues but I’m equally certain that many social conservatives will appreciate his willingness to nominate strict constructionists if he’s nominated and elected. I’m happy that Mayor Giuliani favors strict constructionists. It’s also news to me that Chief Justice Roberts and Associate Justice Alito were former colleagues of his.

The more I learn about Mayor Giuliani, the more I like him. That’s why I signed onto his exploratory committee.

Specifically, I like Rudy’s stance on defeating the terrorists. I liked his willingness to crack down on supposedly minor crimes in his first year as New York’s mayor. The dramatic decline in crime rates in NYC are directly attributable to his no nonsense approach to fighting crime. I like his being a former federal prosecutor and a very good one at that. He’s undoubtedly a leader with a history of rising to the occasion.

Keep in mind that I’m not a squishy moderate. I’d describe myself as a Ronald Reagan Republican. I’m definitely a social conservative. Do I disagree with Mayor Giuliani on some issues? Definitely. Still, I find far more things that I like about Mayor Giuliani than I don’t like.

Getting judges right is something that conservatives have cared about since Reagan’s time in office. Rudy gets them right. That should count for alot with conservatives.