Weekly Address: President Obama’s Supreme Court Nomination (March 19, 2016)

奧巴馬每周電視講話：奧巴馬總統提名最高法院大法官

Hi, everybody.  One of the most consequential responsibilities our Constitution grants a President is appointing a Supreme Court Justice.  The men and women who sit on the Supreme Court safeguard our rights.  They ensure that ours is a system of laws, not of men.  And they’re given the essential task of applying the principles written into our founding documents to the most challenging questions of today.

大家好！憲法賦予總統最重要的一項職責就是提名最高法院大法官人選。正是這些大法官守護著我們的各項權利。正是他們，確保我們生活在一個法制社會，而不是人治社會。他們承擔的最基本的職責就是利用這些寫入立國宣言的基本原則，來解決我們面臨的各種最艱巨的挑戰。

So this is a duty I take very seriously.  It requires me to set aside short-term politics in order to maintain faith with our founders.  And on Wednesday, after weeks of consultations with Republicans, Democrats, and leaders across the country, I selected a nominee whose unmatched experience and integrity have earned him the respect and admiration of both parties – Chief Judge Merrick Garland.

因此，我非常嚴肅的對待我的這項責任。這也要求我將短期的政治利益擱置一邊，與立國先賢們保持一致。周三，經過數周與共和黨、民主黨及全國各地的領導的磋商，我選擇了一位提名人，他擁有無與倫比的經驗，為人正直，深受兩黨的尊重和愛戴，他就是首席法官梅里克?賈蘭德。

Judge Garland grew up in my hometown of Chicago, with parents who taught him to work hard and deal fairly.  As a young lawyer, he left a lucrative private firm to work for half as much in public service.  Eventually, he oversaw the federal response to the Oklahoma City bombing, working side-by-side with first responders, victims, and their families to bring justice for an unspeakable crime.  And everywhere he went during that investigation, he carried with him in his briefcase the program from the memorial service with each of the victims’ names inside.

賈蘭德法官在我的家鄉芝加哥長大，從小，他的父母就教育他要努力奮斗，為人正直。作為一名年輕律師，他離開了待遇豐厚的私人律所，投身公共法律服務，收入只有前者的一半。在他參與審理俄克拉荷馬市爆炸案的過程中，他代表聯邦與應急工作人員并肩作戰，與受害者及其家屬站在一起，懲治這一滔天罪行，為人們帶來正義。調查期間他所到之處都隨身攜帶一個公文包，里面是他參加每一位受害者追悼會的名單。

For the last 19 years, Judge Garland has served on what’s known as “the second highest court in the land” – the D.C. Circuit Court – including the last three years as Chief Judge.  On the bench, he’s shown a dedication to protecting our basic rights.  A conviction that powerful voices must not be allowed to drown out those of everyday Americans.  An understanding that justice isn’t simply abstract legal theory; it affects people’s daily lives.  And a spirit of decency, modesty, and even-handedness in his work.  Judge Garland is admired for his courtesy, his devotion to family, and his civic-mindedness – for the past 18 years, he’s served as a tutor for young students at a local D.C. elementary school.

過去19年里，賈蘭德法官供職于眾所周知的“聯邦第二高等法院”——華盛頓特區巡回法院——最近三年，他一直擔任首席大法官。在這個位置上，他展現出對保護人們基本權利的執著與奉獻精神；對強權不能壓制民眾發表自己的意見的堅守；對正義不僅僅是簡單的法律理論，而是影響到每個人的日常生活的深刻理解；以及在工作中表現出來的正直、穩重、公正的精神。正因他對家庭的愛和奉獻以及公民精神，賈蘭德法官深受愛戴，過去18年里，他一直在華盛頓特區一所小學擔任輔導員，教育小學生。

During my time as President, through three separate Supreme Court appointments, in conversations with Republicans and Democrats alike, one name came up more than any other – Merrick Garland.

我擔任總統期間，共經歷了三次最高法院大法官任命過程，在與共和黨和民主黨議員們交流的過程中，有一個名字出現的次數是最多的，那就是梅里克?賈蘭德。

I understand that we’re in the middle of an especially noisy and volatile political season.  But at a time when our politics are so polarized; when norms and customs of our political rhetoric seem to be corroding – this is precisely the time we should treat the appointment of a Supreme Court justice with the seriousness it deserves.  Because our Supreme Court is supposed to be above politics, not an extension of politics.  And it should stay that way.

我知道當前處在總統大選關鍵時期，也是意見紛飛的特殊時期。但當我們的政治環境變得偏激，政治語言的規范和傳統受到沖擊的時候，正是我們應該嚴肅對待最高法院大法官人選問題的時候，這也是我們對待這個位置應有的態度。因為最高法院應該高于政治，它不是政治的延伸。它應該有自己的獨立性。

So I ask Republicans in the Senate to give Judge Garland the respect he has earned.  Give him a hearing.  Give him an up-or-down vote.  To deny it would be an abdication of the Senate’s Constitutional duty.  It would indicate a process for nominating and confirming judges that is beyond repair.  It would make it increasingly impossible for any President, Republican or Democrat, to carry out their Constitutional function.  To go down that path would jeopardize our system of justice, it would hurt our democracy, and betray the vision of our founding.

因此，我請求共和黨參議員們給賈蘭德法官應有的尊重。召開聽證會。給他一次投票的機會。拒絕這么做將是參議院對憲法賦予職責的褻瀆。也意味著對提名和確認大法官的流程而言，需要的遠不是簡單修補。這也將讓任何一位總統，無論他是共和黨人還是民主黨人，都將逐漸無法行使其憲法賦予的職責。按照這條路走下去，我們的司法體系就會走入死胡同，我們的民主體制將會受損，也違背了立國先賢們描繪的藍圖。

I fulfilled my Constitutional duty.  Now it’s time for Senators to do theirs.  I hope that they take the time to reflect on the importance of this process to our country.  I hope that they’ll act fairly.  And I hope they’ll work in a bipartisan fashion to confirm Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court.  That’s how we can uphold our pledge to liberty and justice for all – for our time and for generations to come.

我已經完成了憲法賦予我的職責。現在輪到參議員們了。我希望大家抓緊時間，認真考慮此事對國家的重要性。我也希望大家公平應對此事。我希望大家以兩黨合作的風范確認梅里克?賈蘭德進入最高法院。這是我們堅守自由與公正的方式，為了我們大家，為了我們的時代，也為了未來的子孫后代。

Thanks everybody.  Have a good weekend.

謝謝大家，祝周末愉快！

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