LISTEN: Robert Bork’s Son Reflects on his Father’s Supreme Court Nomination Process 30 Years Later

Listen as Larry spoke with Robert Bork Jr. regarding the 30th anniversary of Robert Bork’s Supreme Court nomination.

Steven Hayword recently penned a piece on PowerlineBlog.com regarding Bort’s nomination. An excerpt of his article, THE WAGES OF BORKING, is below:

This week marks the 30^th anniversary of one of the turning points in modern American politics: the travesty of the Bork confirmation hearings. The “Borking” of Bork changed the rules of judicial appointments, and have poisoned judicial politics, ever since. It was a shameful moment because of the duplicity and hypocrisy of Democrats.

Several days before President Reagan announced Bork’s nomination to the Supreme Court, Howard Baker and Ed Meese met with Judiciary Committee chairman Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd to go through a list of possible nominees, and neither man indicated that Bork was unacceptable. Byrd said to a reporter when asked about Bork’s possible nomination: “I frankly think he would probably be confirmed,” and Byrd cautioned fellow Democrats that Bork’s nomination should not become “a litmus test of party affiliation and loyalty.” Sen. Dennis DeConcini (D-AZ) said “I start with the assumption that the President has the right to appoint whom he wants.” Biden, never at a loss for words—even if they were someone else’s—had told a reporter in 1986: “Say the administration sends up Bork, and, after our investigation, he looks a lot like another Scalia. I’d have to vote for him, and if the groups tear me apart, that’s the medicine I’ll have to take. I’m not Ted Kennedy.” [Read More]

Click the image below to watch Judge Robert Bort address the press regarding the Senate Judiciary Committee voting 9 to 5 to send his nomination to the full Senate.