Susan Collins - Senate Floor Speech in Support of Brett Kavanaugh | susancollinssenatefloorbrettkavanaugh

苏珊·柯林斯 (Susan Collins) - 参议院演讲支持布雷特·卡瓦诺 (Brett Kavanaugh)苏珊·柯林斯参议院楼层布雷特·卡瓦诺

· American Rhetoric · 原文

Senate Floor Speech in Support of Brett Kavanaugh

支持布雷特·卡瓦诺的参议院演讲

delivered 5 October 2018, Washington, D.C.

2018 年 10 月 5 日交付，华盛顿特区

[AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text version below transcribed directly from audio]

[真实性认证：以下文本版本直接从音频转录]

Mr. President, the five previous times that I have come to the floor to explain my vote on the nomination of a justice to the United States Supreme Court, I have begun my floor remarks explaining my decision with a recognition of the solemn nature and the importance of the occasion.

主席先生，我之前五次发言解释我对美国最高法院法官提名的投票，我在发言开始时解释我的决定，承认这一场合的庄严性质和重要性。

But today we have come to the conclusion of a confirmation process that has become so dysfunctional it looks more like a caricature of a gutter-level political campaign than a solemn occasion.

但今天我们得出了确认程序的结论，该程序已变得如此失调，看起来更像是一场阴沟级别的政治运动的漫画，而不是一个庄严的场合。

The President nominated Brett Kavanaugh on July 9th.

总统于 7 月 9 日提名布雷特·卡瓦诺 (Brett Kavanaugh)。

Within moments of that announcement, special interest groups raced to be the first to oppose him, including one organization that didn�t even bother to fill in the Judge�s name on its pre-written press release.

在宣布这一消息后不久，特殊利益集团竞相成为第一个反对他的组织，其中一个组织甚至懒得在预先写好的新闻稿中填写法官的名字。

They simply wrote that they opposed "Donald Trump�s nomination of XX to the Supreme Court of the United States." 1 A number of Senators joined the race to announce their opposition, but they were beaten to the punch by one of our colleagues who actually announced opposition before the nominee�s identity was even known.

他们只是写道，他们反对“唐纳德·特朗普提名XX为美国最高法院大法官”。 1 许多参议员加入竞选，宣布反对，但他们被我们的一位同事抢先一步，这位同事在提名人的身份还没有公布之前就宣布反对。

Since that time, we have seen special interest groups whip their followers into a frenzy by spreading misrepresentations and outright falsehoods about Judge Kavanaugh�s judicial record.

从那时起，我们看到特殊利益集团通过散布关于卡瓦诺法官司法记录的歪曲和彻头彻尾的谎言，使他们的追随者陷入疯狂。

Over-the-top rhetoric and distortions of his record and testimony at his first hearing produced short-lived headlines which, although debunked hours later, continued to live on and be spread through social media.

在第一次听证会上，过分的言辞以及对他的记录和证词的歪曲产生了短暂的头条新闻，尽管这些新闻在几个小时后被揭穿，但仍然继续存在并通过社交媒体传播。

Interest groups have also spent an unprecedented amount of dark money opposing this nomination.

利益集团还花费了前所未有的大量黑钱来反对这一提名。

Our Supreme Court confirmation process has been in steady decline for more than 30 years.

三十多年来，我们最高法院的确认程序一直在稳步下降。

One can only hope that the Kavanaugh nomination is where the process has finally hit rock bottom.

人们只能希望卡瓦诺的提名是这一进程最终触底的地方。

Against this backdrop, it is up to each individual Senator to decide what the Constitution�s "advice and consent" duty means.

在此背景下，由每位参议员决定宪法的“建议和同意”义务的含义。

Informed by Alexander Hamilton�s Federalist 76 , I have interpreted this to mean that the President has broad discretion to consider a nominee�s philosophy, whereas my duty as a Senator is to focus on the nominee�s qualifications as long as that nominee�s philosophy is within the mainstream of judicial thought.

根据亚历山大·汉密尔顿（Alexander Hamilton）的《联邦党人文集》76，我将此解释为总统拥有广泛的自由裁量权来考虑提名人的理念，而我作为参议员的职责是关注提名人的资格，只要提名人的理念符合司法思想的主流即可。

I have always opposed litmus tests for judicial nominees with respect to their personal views or politics, but I fully expect them to be able to put aside any and all personal preferences in deciding the cases that come before them.

我一直反对对司法提名人的个人观点或政治进行试金石，但我完全希望他们能够在决定摆在他们面前的案件时抛开任何个人偏好。

I've never considered the President�s identity or party when evaluating Supreme Court nominations.

在评估最高法院的提名时，我从未考虑过总统的身份或政党。

As a result, I voted in favor of Justices Roberts and Alito, who were nominated by President Bush; Justices Sotomayor and Kagan, who were nominated by President Obama; and Justice Gorsuch, who was nominated by President Trump.

结果，我投票赞成布什总统提名的罗伯茨法官和阿利托法官；由奥巴马总统提名的索托马约尔法官和卡根法官；以及由特朗普总统提名的戈萨奇大法官。

So I began my evaluation of Judge Kavanaugh�s nomination by reviewing his 12-year record on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, including his more than 300 opinions and his many speeches and law review articles.

因此，我开始对卡瓦诺法官的提名进行评估，回顾了他在华盛顿特区巡回上诉法院12年的记录，包括他的300多条意见以及他的许多演讲和法律评论文章。

Nineteen attorneys, including lawyers from the non-partisan Congressional Research Service , briefed me many times each week and assisted me in evaluating the judge�s extensive record.

十九名律师，包括来自无党派国会研究服务处的律师，每周多次向我通报情况，并协助我评估法官的广泛记录。

I met with Judge Kavanaugh for more than two hours in my office.

我在办公室与卡瓦诺法官会面了两个多小时。

I listened carefully to the testimony at the Committee hearings.

我在委员会听证会上仔细听取了证词。

I spoke with people who knew him personally, such as Condoleezza Rice and many others.

我与认识他的人进行了交谈，例如康多莉扎·赖斯（Condoleezza Rice）和其他许多人。

And, I talked with Judge Kavanaugh a second time by phone for another hour to ask him very specific additional questions.

而且，我第二次与卡瓦诺法官通了一个小时的电话，问了他非常具体的附加问题。

I also have met with thousands of my constituents, both advocates and many opponents, regarding Judge Kavanaugh.

我还与数以千计的选民会面，其中包括卡瓦诺法官的支持者和反对者。

One concern that I frequently heard was that the judge would be likely to eliminate the Affordable Care Act �s (ACA) vital protections for people with preexisting conditions.

我经常听到的一个担忧是，法官可能会取消《平价医疗法案》(ACA) 对已有疾病的人的重要保护。

I disagree with this contention.

我不同意这个论点。

In a dissent in Seven-Sky v.

在七天诉的异议中。

Holder , Judge Kavanaugh rejected a challenge to the ACA on narrow procedural grounds, preserving the law in full.

卡瓦诺法官以狭隘的程序理由驳回了对《平价医疗法案》的质疑，完全保留了法律。

Many experts have said that his dissent informed Justice Roberts� opinion upholding the ACA at the Supreme Court.

许多专家表示，罗伯茨法官的不同意见反映了他在最高法院支持《平价医疗法案》的观点。

Furthermore, Judge Kavanaugh�s approach toward the doctrine of severability is narrow.

此外，卡瓦诺法官对可分割性原则的态度是狭隘的。

When a part of a statute is challenged on constitutional grounds, he has argued for severing the invalid clause as surgically as possible while allowing the overall law to remain intact.

当法规的一部分因宪法原因受到质疑时，他主张尽可能像外科手术一样切断无效条款，同时允许整体法律保持完整。

This was his approach in his dissent in a case that involved a challenge to the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau [ PPH v.

这是他在涉及对消费者金融保护局结构提出质疑的案件中提出异议的方法 [ PPH v.

CFPB ].

消费者保护局]。

In his dissent , Judge Kavanaugh argued for (quote) "severing any problematic portions while leaving the remainder intact" (end quote).

卡瓦诺法官在他的异议中主张（引用）“切断任何有问题的部分，同时保留其余部分完好无损”（引用结束）。

2 Given the current challenges to the ACA, proponents, including myself, of protections for people with pre-existing conditions should want a Justice who would take just this kind of approach.

2 鉴于《平价医疗法案》目前面临的挑战，保护患有既往疾病的人的支持者（包括我自己）应该希望有一位能够采取这种方法的法官。

Another assertion that I've heard often is that Judge Kavanaugh cannot be trusted if a case involving alleged wrongdoing by the President were to come before the Court.

我经常听到的另一个说法是，如果涉及总统涉嫌不当行为的案件提交法院，卡瓦诺法官就不值得信任。

The basis for this argument seems to be two-fold.

First, Judge Kavanaugh has written that he believes that Congress should enact legislation to protect presidents from criminal prosecution or civil liability while in office.

首先，卡瓦诺法官写道，他认为国会应该颁布立法，保护总统在任期间免受刑事起诉或民事责任。

Mr. President, I believe opponents miss the mark on this issue.

The fact that Judge Kavanaugh offered this legislative proposal suggests that the -- he believes that the President does not have such protection currently.

卡瓦诺法官提出这项立法提案的事实表明——他认为总统目前没有这样的保护。

Second, there are some who argue that given the current Special Counsel investigation, President Trump should not even be allowed to nominate a justice.

其次，有人认为，鉴于目前特别检察官的调查，特朗普总统甚至不应该被允许提名法官。

That argument ignores our recent history.

这种论点忽视了我们最近的历史。

President Clinton, in 1993, nominated Justice Ginsburg after the Whitewater investigation was already underway.

1993 年，在白水事件调查开始后，克林顿总统提名金斯伯格大法官。

And she was confirmed 96 to 3.

最终她以 96 比 3 被确认。

The next year, just three months after Independent Counsel Robert Fiske was named to lead the Whitewater investigation, President Clinton nominated Justice Breyer .

第二年，就在独立检察官罗伯特·菲斯克被任命领导白水调查三个月后，克林顿总统提名布雷耶法官。

He was confirmed 87-9.

他以87比9被确认。

Supreme Court Justices have not hesitated to rule against the presidents who have nominated them.

最高法院法官毫不犹豫地做出了不利于提名他们的总统的裁决。

Perhaps most notably in the United States versus Nixon, three Nixon appointees who heard the case joined the unanimous opinion against him.

也许最引人注目的是在美国对尼克松的诉讼中，三名听过此案的尼克松任命的官员一致同意反对他。

Judge Kavanaugh has been unequivocal in his belief that no president is above the law.

卡瓦诺法官明确表示，没有总统可以凌驾于法律之上。

He has stated that Marbury versus Madison , Youngstown Steel versus Sawyer , and the United States versus Nixon are three of the four greatest Supreme Court cases in history.

他表示，马伯里诉麦迪逊案、扬斯敦钢铁案诉索耶案、美国诉尼克松案是历史上最高法院四大案件中的三起。

What do they have in common?

他们有什么共同点？

Each of them is a case where Congress [the Court] served as a check on presidential power.

每一起案件都是国会[法院]对总统权力进行制衡的案例。

And I would note that the fourth case that Judge Kavanaugh has pointed to as the greatest in history was Brown versus the Board of Education .

我要指出的是，卡瓦诺法官指出的历史上最伟大的第四个案件是布朗诉教育委员会案。

One Kavanaugh decision illustrates the point about the check on presidential power directly.

卡瓦诺的一项决定直接说明了对总统权力进行制衡的观点。

He wrote the [D.C. Circuit Court] opinion in Hamdan versus the United States, a case that challenged the Bush Administration�s military commission prosecution of an associate of Osama Bin Laden.

他写了[D.C.巡回法院]在哈姆丹诉美国案中的意见，该案质疑布什政府军事委员会对奥萨马·本·拉登同伙的起诉。

This conviction was very important to the Bush Administration, but Judge Kavanaugh, who had been appointed to the D.C. Circuit by President Bush and had worked in President Bush�s White House, ruled that the conviction was unlawful.

这一定罪对布什政府来说非常重要，但被布什总统任命为华盛顿特区巡回法院法官、曾在布什总统白宫工作过的卡瓦诺法官裁定该定罪不合法。

As he explained during the [Senate confirmation] hearing (quote), "We don�t make decisions based on who people are, or their policy preferences, or the moment.

正如他在[参议院确认]听证会上解释的那样（引用），“我们不会根据人们是谁、他们的政策偏好或时机做出决定。

We base decisions on the law" (end quote).

我们的决定基于法律”（引用结束）。

Others I met with have expressed concerns that Justice Kennedy�s retirement threatens the right of same sex couples to marry.

我遇到的其他人都表示担心肯尼迪大法官的退休会威胁到同性伴侣的结婚权利。

Yet, Judge Kavanaugh described the Obergefell decision , which legalized same gender marriages, as an important landmark precedent.

然而，卡瓦诺法官将同性婚姻合法化的奥伯格费尔判决描述为一个重要的里程碑式先例。

He also cited Justice Kennedy�s recent Masterpiece Cake -- Cakeshop opinion for the Court�s majority, stating that (quote): "The days of treating gay and lesbian Americans or gay and lesbian couples as second-class citizens who are inferior in dignity and worth are over in the Supreme Court" (end quote).

他还引用了肯尼迪大法官最近发表的代表最高法院多数派的杰作蛋糕——蛋糕店意见，指出（引文）：“最高法院将同性恋美国人或男女同性恋伴侣视为尊严和价值低下的二等公民的日子已经结束了”（引文结束）。

Others have suggested that the judge holds extreme views on birth control.

其他人则认为法官对节育持有极端观点。

In one case, Judge Kavanaugh incurred the disfavor of both sides of the political spectrum for seeking to ensure the availability of contraceptive services for women while minimizing the involvement of employers with religious objections.

在一个案件中，卡瓦诺法官寻求确保妇女获得避孕服务，同时尽量减少雇主对宗教反对的介入，从而招致政治派别双方的不满。

Although his critics frequently overlook this point, Judge Kavanaugh�s dissent rejected arguments that the government did not have a compelling interest in facilitating access to contraception.

尽管他的批评者经常忽视这一点，但卡瓦诺法官的反对意见驳斥了政府在促进避孕措施方面没有迫切利益的论点。

In fact, he wrote that the Supreme Court precedent "strongly suggested" that there was a "compelling interest" in facilitating access to birth control.

事实上，他写道，最高法院的判例“强烈表明”促进节育具有“令人信服的利益”。

There has also been considerable focus on the future of abortion rights based on the concern that Judge Kavanaugh would seek to overturn Roe v.

由于担心卡瓦诺法官会寻求推翻罗伊诉科特迪瓦案，堕胎权的未来也受到相当大的关注。

Wade .

韦德.

Protecting this right is important to me.

保护这项权利对我来说很重要。

To my knowledge, Judge Kavanaugh is the first Supreme Court nominee to express the view that precedent is not merely a practice and tradition, but rooted in Article III of our Constitution itself.

据我所知，卡瓦诺法官是第一位表达以下观点的最高法院提名人：先例不仅是一种惯例和传统，而且植根于我们宪法本身的第三条。

He believes that precedent "is not just a judicial policy." 5 It is constitutionally dictated to "pay attention and pay heed to rules of precedent." 6 In other words, precedent isn�t a goal or an aspiration; it is a constitutional tenet that has to be followed except in the most extraordinary circumstances.

他认为先例“不仅仅是一项司法政策”。 5 宪法规定“注意并留意先例规则”。 6 换句话说，先例不是目标或愿望；而是目标。 it is a constitutional tenet that has to be followed except in the most extraordinary circumstances.

The judge further explained that precedent provides stability, predictability, reliance, and fairness.

法官进一步解释说，先例提供了稳定性、可预测性、可靠性和公平性。

There are, of course, rare and extraordinary times where the Supreme Court would rightly overturn a precedent.

当然，在罕见且特殊的情况下，最高法院会正确地推翻先例。

The most famous example was when the Supreme Court in Brown versus the Board of Education overruled Plessy versus Ferguson, correcting a "grievously wrong" decision -- to use the judge�s term -- allowing racial inequality.

最著名的例子是最高法院在布朗诉教育委员会案中驳回了普莱西诉弗格森案，纠正了一项“严重错误”的判决——用法官的话说——允许种族不平等。

But, someone who believes that the importance of precedent has been rooted in the Constitution would follow long-established precedent except in those rare circumstances where a decision is "grievously wrong" or "deeply inconsistent with the law." Those are Judge Kavanaugh�s phrases.

但是，相信先例的重要性植根于宪法的人会遵循长期确立的先例，除非在决定“严重错误”或“严重不符合法律”的极少数情况下。这是卡瓦诺法官的原话。

As the Judge asserted to me, a long-established precedent is not something to be trimmed, narrowed, discarded, or overlooked.

Its roots in the Constitution give the concept of stare decisis greater weight such that the precedent can�t be trimmed or narrowed simply because a judge might want to on a whim.

它植根于宪法，赋予遵循先例的概念更大的分量，这样判例就不能仅仅因为法官一时兴起而被修剪或缩小。

In short, his views on honoring precedent would preclude attempts to do by stealth that which one has committed not to do overtly.

简而言之，他关于尊重先例的观点将阻止人们试图秘密地做那些已经承诺不公开做的事情。

Noting that Roe v.

注意到罗诉。

Wade was decided 40 years -- 45 years ago, and reaffirmed 19 years later in Planned Parenthood versus Casey , I asked Judge Kavanaugh whether the passage of time is relevant to following precedent.

韦德案是40年前、45年前做出的决定，19年后在计划生育协会诉凯西案中得到重申，我问卡瓦诺法官，时间的流逝是否与以下先例有关。

He said decisions become part of our legal framework with the passage of time and that honoring precedent is essential to maintaining public confidence.

他说，随着时间的推移，决定成为我们法律框架的一部分，尊重先例对于维护公众信心至关重要。

Our discussion then turned to the right of privacy, on which the Supreme Court relied in Griswold versus Connecticut , a case that struck down a law banning the use and sale of contracept[ives].

然后我们的讨论转向隐私权，最高法院在格里斯沃尔德诉康涅狄格州一案中依据了隐私权，该案推翻了禁止使用和销售避孕药具的法律。

Griswold established the legal foundation that led to Roe eight years later.

格里斯沃尔德奠定了八年后罗伊案的法律基础。

In describing Griswold as "settled law," Judge Kavanaugh observed that it was the correct application of two famous cases from the 1920s, Meyer and Pierce , that are not seriously challenged by anyone today.

卡瓦诺法官在将格里斯沃尔德案描述为“既定法律”时指出，这是对 20 年代迈耶和皮尔斯这两个著名案件的正确适用，而今天没有人对这两个案件提出严重质疑。

Finally, in his testimony, he noted repeatedly that Roe had been upheld by Planned Parenthood versus Casey, describing it as "precedent on precedent." When I asked him "Would it be sufficient to overturn a long-established precedent if five current justices believed that it was wrongly decided," he emphatically said "no."

最后，他在证词中反复指出，罗伊案得到了计划生育协会与凯西案的支持，并将其描述为“先例中的先例”。当我问他“如果五位现任法官认为判决是错误的，是否足以推翻一个长期确立的先例”时，他强调说“不”。

Opponents frequently cite then-candidate Donald Trump�s campaign pledge to nominate only judges who would overturn Roe.

反对者经常引用当时的候选人唐纳德·特朗普的竞选承诺，即只提名能够推翻罗伊案的法官。

The Republican platform for all presidential campaigns has included this pledge since at least 1980.

During this time, presidents -- Republican presidents have appointed Justices O�Connor, Souter, and Kennedy to the Supreme Court.

These are the very three justices -- Republican president appointed justices -- who authored the Casey decision, which reaffirmed Roe.

这三位法官是共和党总统任命的法官，他们起草了凯西判决，该判决重申了罗伊的判决。

Furthermore, pro-choice groups vigorously opposed each of these justices� nominations.

Incredibly, they even circulated buttons with the slogan "Stop Souter Or Women Will Die!" Just two years later, Justice Souter coauthored the Casey opinion, reaffirming a woman�s right to choose.

Suffice it to say, prominent advocacy organizations have been wrong.

These same interest groups have speculated that Judge Kavanaugh was selected to do the bidding of conservative ideologues, despite his record of judicial independence.

这些利益集团推测卡瓦诺法官被选来是为了听从保守派思想家的命令，尽管他有司法独立的记录。

I asked the judge point blank whether he had made any commitments or pledges to anyone at the White House, to the Federalist Society, to any outside group on how he would decide cases.

我直截了当地问法官，他是否曾向白宫的任何人、联邦党人协会、任何外部团体做出过关于他将如何裁决案件的任何承诺或保证。

He unequivocally assured me that he had not.

他明确地向我保证他没有。

Judge Kavanaugh has received rave reviews for his 12-year track record as a judge, including for his judicial temperament.

卡瓦诺法官12年的法官履历，包括他的司法气质，广受好评。

The American Bar Association [ABA] gave him its highest possible rating.

美国律师协会 [ABA] 给予他最高的评价。

Its Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary conducted an extraordinarily thorough assessment, soliciting input from almost 500 people, including his judicial colleagues.

其联邦司法常务委员会进行了非常彻底的评估，征求了近 500 人的意见，其中包括他的司法同事。

The ABA concluded that "his integrity, judicial temperament, and professional competence met the highest standard[[s]]."

Lisa Blatt , who has argued more cases before the Supreme Court than any other woman in history, testified (quote): "By any objective measure, Judge Kavanaugh is clearly qualified to serve on the Supreme Court." "His opinions are invariably thoughtful and fair...." Ms. Blatt, who clerked for and is an ardent admirer of Justice Ginsburg, and who is, in her own words, "an unapologetic defender of a woman�s right to choose," said that Judge Kavanaugh "fit[s] in the mainstream of legal thought." She also observed that "Judge Kavanaugh is remarkably committed to promoting women in the legal profession."

丽莎·布拉特（Lisa Blatt）在最高法院审理的案件比历史上任何其他女性都多，她作证（引述）：“以任何客观标准衡量，卡瓦诺法官显然有资格在最高法院任职。” “他的意见总是深思熟虑和公正的……”布拉特女士是金斯伯格大法官的书记员，也是金斯伯格大法官的热心崇拜者，用她自己的话说，她是“女性选择权的坚定捍卫者”，她说卡瓦诺法官“符合法律思想的主流”。 She also observed that "Judge Kavanaugh is remarkably committed to promoting women in the legal profession."

That Judge Kavanaugh is more of a centrist than some of his critics maintain is reflected in the fact that he and Chief Judge Merrick Garland voted the same way in 93 percent of the cases that they heard together.

卡瓦诺法官比他的一些批评者所认为的更中间派，这一事实反映在他和首席法官梅里克·加兰在他们一起审理的 93% 的案件中投票方式相同。

Indeed, Chief Judge Garland joined in more than 96 percent of the majority opinions authored by Judge Kavanaugh, dissenting only once.

Despite all this, after weeks of reviewing Judge Kavanaugh�s record and listening to 32 hours of his testimony, the Senate�s advice and consent role was thrown into a tailspin following the allegations of sexual assault by Professor Christine Blasey Ford .

尽管如此，在对卡瓦诺法官的记录进行了数周的审查并听取了他 32 小时的证词后，参议院的建议和同意作用在克里斯蒂娜·布莱西·福特教授的性侵犯指控后陷入了混乱。

The confirmation process now involves evaluating whether or not Judge Kavanaugh committed sexual assault, and lied about it to the Judiciary Committee.

现在的确认过程涉及评估卡瓦诺法官是否犯有性侵犯并向司法委员会撒谎。

Some argue that because this is a lifetime appointment to our highest courts -- court, the public interest requires that doubts be resolved against the nominee.

一些人认为，由于这是我们最高法院的终身任命，公共利益要求解决对被提名人的质疑。

Others see the public interest as embodied in our long-established tradition of affording to those accused of misconduct a presumption of innocence.

其他人则认为公共利益体现在我们长期以来为被指控行为不当的人提供无罪推定的传统中。

In cases in which the facts are unclear, they would argue that the question should be resolved in favor of the nominee.

在事实不清楚的情况下，他们会认为问题应该以有利于被提名人的方式解决。

Mr. President, I understand both viewpoints.

主席先生，我理解这两种观点。

This debate is complicated further by the fact that the Senate confirmation process is not a trial.

But certain fundamental legal principles -- about due process, the presumption of innocence, and fairness -- do bear on my thinking, and I cannot abandon them.

但某些基本的法律原则——关于正当程序、无罪推定和公平——确实影响着我的思考，我不能放弃它们。

In evaluating any given claim of misconduct, we will be ill-served in the long run if we abandon the presumption of innocence and fairness, tempting though it may be.

在评估任何不当行为的指控时，如果我们放弃无罪和公平的推定，从长远来看，我们将受到不利的对待，尽管这可能很诱人。

We must always remember that it is when passions are most inflamed that fairness is most in jeopardy.

我们必须永远记住，当激情最炽热的时候，公平也最容易受到威胁。

The presumption of innocence is relevant to the advice and consent function when an accusation departs from a nominee�s otherwise exemplary record.

当指控偏离被提名人其他方面的模范记录时，无罪推定与建议和同意功能相关。

I worry that departing from this presumption could lead to a lack of public faith in the judiciary and would be hugely damaging to the confirmation process moving forward.

我担心，背离这一假设可能会导致公众对司法机构缺乏信心，并对后续的确认程序造成巨大损害。

Some of the allegations levied against Judge Kavanaugh illustrate why the presumption of innocence is so important.

针对卡瓦诺法官的一些指控说明了无罪推定为何如此重要。

I am thinking in particular not of the allegations raised by Professor Ford, but of the allegation that, when he was a teenager, Judge Kavanaugh drugged multiple girls and used their weakened state to facilitate gang rape.

我特别想到的不是福特教授提出的指控，而是卡瓦诺法官在他十几岁的时候对多名女孩下药并利用她们虚弱的状态促进轮奸的指控。

This outlandish allegation was put forth without any credible supporting evidence and simply parroted public statements of others.

这种荒唐的指控是在没有任何可信证据的情况下提出的，只是人云亦云地重复别人的公开言论。

That such an allegation can find its way into the Supreme Court confirmation process is a stark reminder about why the presumption of innocence is so ingrained in our American consciousness.

这样的指控能够进入最高法院的确认程序，这清楚地提醒我们为什么无罪推定在我们美国人的意识中如此根深蒂固。

Mr. President, I listened carefully to Christine Blasey Ford�s testimony before the Judiciary Committee.

I found her testimony to be sincere, painful, and compelling.

I believe that she is a survivor of a sexual assault and that this trauma has upended her life.

我相信她是性侵犯的幸存者，这种创伤已经颠覆了她的生活。

Nevertheless, the four witnesses she named could not corroborate any of the events of that evening gathering where she says the assault occurred; none of the individuals Professor Ford says were at the party has any recollection at all of that night.

然而，她所指名的四名证人无法证实当晚聚会上发生的任何事件，她称袭击发生在聚会上。福特教授说参加聚会的人中没有一个人对那天晚上有任何记忆。

Judge Kavanaugh forcefully denied the allegations under penalty of perjury.

卡瓦诺法官强烈否认了这些指控，否则将受伪证罪处罚。

Mark Judge denied under penalty of felony that he had witnessed an assault.

马克·贾吉否认他目睹了袭击事件，并受到重罪处罚。

PJ Smyth, another person allegedly at the party, denied that he was there under penalty of felony.

据称参加聚会的另一名人士 PJ Smyth 否认他因重罪而参加聚会。

Professor Ford�s life-long friend Leland Keyser indicated that, under penalty of felony, she does not remember that party.

福特教授的终生好友利兰·凯泽表示，如果她受到重罪处罚，她不记得那个聚会了。

And Ms. Keyser went further.

凯泽女士走得更远。

She indicated that not only does she not remember a night like that, but also that she does not even know Brett Kavanaugh.

她表示，她不仅不记得那样的夜晚，而且她甚至不认识布雷特·卡瓦诺。

In addition to the lack of corroborating evidence, we also learned some facts that raised more questions.

除了缺乏确凿证据之外，我们还了解到一些引发更多疑问的事实。

For instance, since these allegations have become public, Professor Ford testified that not a single person has contacted her to say, "I was at the party that night."

例如，自从这些指控被公开后，福特教授作证说，没有人联系她说“那天晚上我参加了聚会”。

Furthermore, the professor testified that although she does not remember how she got home that evening, she knew that, because of the distance, she would have needed a ride -- yet not a single person has come forward to say that they were the one who drove her home or were in the car with her that night.

此外，教授作证说，虽然她不记得那天晚上自己是怎么回家的，但她知道，由于路途遥远，她需要搭车——但没有一个人站出来说他们是开车送她回家的人，或者那天晚上和她一起在车里。

And Professor Ford also indicated that even though she left that small gathering of six or so people abruptly, and without saying goodbye, and distraught, none of them called her the next day -- or ever -- to ask why she left -- is she okay?

福特教授还表示，尽管她突然离开了那个六人左右的小聚会，没有说再见，心烦意乱，但第二天没有人打电话给她——甚至永远没有——问她为什么离开——她还好吗？

-- not even her closest friend, Ms. Keyser.

——甚至连她最亲密的朋友凯泽女士也没有。

Mr. President, the Constitution does not provide guidance on how we are supposed to evaluate these competing claims.

总统先生，宪法没有就我们如何评估这些相互矛盾的主张提供指导。

It leaves that decision up to each Senator.

它将决定权留给每位参议员。

This is not a criminal trial, and I do not believe that the claims such as these need to be proved beyond a reasonable doubt.

这不是刑事审判，我不认为此类主张需要排除合理怀疑来证明。

Nevertheless, fairness would dictate that the claims at least should meet a threshold of "more likely than not" as our standard.

然而，为了公平起见，这些主张至少应该满足“更有可能”的阈值作为我们的标准。

The facts presented do not mean that president -- that Professor Ford was not sexually assaulted that night -- or at some other time -- but they do lead me to conclude that the allegations fail to meet the "more likely than not" standard.

所提供的事实并不意味着总统——福特教授那天晚上或其他时间没有受到性侵犯——但它们确实让我得出结论，这些指控没有达到“更有可能”的标准。

Therefore, I do not believe that these charges can fairly prevent Judge Kavanaugh from serving on the Court.

因此，我认为这些指控并不能完全阻止卡瓦诺法官在法院任职。

Let me emphasize that my approach to this question should not be misconstrued as suggesting that unwanted sexual contact of any nature is not a serious problem in this country.

让我强调，我对这个问题的态度不应被误解为暗示任何性质的不受欢迎的性接触在这个国家都不是一个严重的问题。

To the contrary, if any good at all has come from this ugly confirmation process, it has been to create an awareness that we have underestimated the pervasiveness of this terrible problem.

相反，如果说这个丑陋的确认过程有什么好处的话，那就是让人们意识到我们低估了这个可怕问题的普遍性。

I have been alarmed and disturbed, however, by some who have suggested that unless Judge Kavanaugh�s nomination is rejected, the Senate is somehow condoning sexual assault.

然而，令我感到震惊和不安的是，有些人提出，除非卡瓦诺法官的提名被拒绝，否则参议院在某种程度上纵容性侵犯。

Nothing could be further from the truth.

事实并非如此。

Every person -- man or woman -- who makes a charge of sexual assault deserves to be heard and treated with respect.

每个提出性侵犯指控的人，无论是男性还是女性，都应该得到倾听和尊重。

The Me Too movement is real.

Me Too 运动是真实存在的。

It matters.

这很重要。

It is needed.

这是需要的。

And it is long overdue.

这已经是姗姗来迟的事情了。

We know that rape and sexual assault are less likely to be reported to the police than other forms of assault.

我们知道，与其他形式的侵犯相比，强奸和性侵犯向警方举报的可能性较小。

On average, an estimated 211,000 rapes and sexual assaults go unreported every year.

平均每年约有 211,000 起强奸和性侵犯案件未被举报。

We must listen to survivors, and every day we must seek to stop the criminal behavior that has hurt so many.

我们必须倾听幸存者的心声，每天我们都必须设法制止伤害这么多人的犯罪行为。

We owe this to ourselves, our children, and generations to come.

这是我们对自己、我们的孩子和子孙后代的责任。

Since the hearing, I have listened to many survivors of sexual assault.

自听证会以来，我听取了许多性侵犯幸存者的说法。

Many were total strangers who told me their heart-wrenching stories for the first time in their lives.

许多人都是素不相识的人，他们生平第一次向我讲述了他们令人心碎的故事。

Some were friends that I have known for decades, yet with the exception of one woman who had confided in me years ago, I had no idea that they had been the victims of sexual attacks.

有些人是我认识了几十年的朋友，但除了一位多年前向我吐露心声的女士外，我并不知道他们是性攻击的受害者。

I am grateful for their courage and their willingness to come forward, and I hope that in heightening public awareness, they have also lightened the burden that they have been quietly bearing for so many years.

我感谢他们的勇气和挺身而出的意愿，我希望在提高公众意识的同时，也减轻了他们多年来默默承受的负担。

To them, I pledge to do all that I can to ensure that their daughters and granddaughters never share their experiences.

我向他们保证，我将尽我所能，确保他们的女儿和孙女永远不会分享他们的经历。

Over the past few weeks, I have been emphatic that the Senate has an obligation to investigate and evaluate the serious allegations of sexual assault.

过去几周，我一直强调参议院有义务调查和评估严重的性侵犯指控。

I called for and supported the additional hearing to hear from both Professor Ford and Judge Kavanaugh.

我呼吁并支持举行额外听证会，听取福特教授和卡瓦诺法官的意见。

I also pushed for and supported the FBI's supplemental background investigation.

我还推动并支持联邦调查局的补充背景调查。

This was the right thing to do.

这是正确的做法。

Christine Ford never sought the spotlight.

克里斯汀·福特从不寻求聚光灯。

She indicated that she was terrified to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and she has shunned attention since then.

她表示，她害怕出现在参议院司法委员会面前，从那时起她就一直回避关注。

She seemed completely unaware of Chairman Grassley�s offer to allow her to testify confidentially in California.

她似乎完全不知道格拉斯利主席允许她在加利福尼亚州秘密作证。

Watching her, Mr. President, I could not help but feel that some people who wanted to engineer the defeat of this nomination cared little, if at all, for her well-being.

总统先生，看着她，我不禁感到，一些想要策划这次提名失败的人根本不关心她的福祉。

Professor Ford testified that a very limited number of people had access to her letter -- yet that letter found its way into the public domain.

福特教授作证说，只有非常有限的人能够看到她的信，但这封信却进入了公共领域。

She testified that she never gave permission for that very private letter to be released.

她作证说，她从未允许公开那封非常私人的信件。

And yet, here we are.

然而，我们到了。

We are in the middle of a fight that she never fought -- sought, arguing about claims that she wanted to raise confidentially.

我们正处于一场她从未打过的争斗之中——我们正在寻求、争论她想秘密提出的主张。

Now, one theory I've heard espoused repeatedly is that our colleague, Senator Feinstein, leaked Professor Ford�s letter at the 11th hour to derail this process.

现在，我经常听到的一个理论是，我们的同事、参议员范斯坦在第 11 个小时泄露了福特教授的信，从而破坏了这一进程。

I want to state this very clearly: I know Senator Diane Feinstein extremely well, and I believe that she would never do that.

我想非常清楚地声明这一点：我非常了解参议员黛安·范斯坦，我相信她永远不会这样做。

I knew that to be the case before she even stated it at the hearing.

在她在听证会上陈述之前我就知道情况是这样的。

She is a person of integrity, and I stand by her.

她是一个正直的人，我支持她。

I've also heard some argue that the Chairman of the Committee somehow treated Professor Ford unfairly.

我还听到一些人认为委员会主席以某种方式对待福特教授不公平。

Nothing could be further from the truth.

事实并非如此。

Chairman Grassley, along with his excellent staff, treated Professor Ford with compassion and respect throughout the entire process.

格拉斯利主席和他优秀的工作人员在整个过程中对福特教授表示同情和尊重。

And that is the way the Senator from Iowa has conducted himself throughout a lifetime dedicated to public service.

这就是这位来自爱荷华州的参议员一生致力于公共服务的行事方式。

But the fact remains, Mr. President, someone leaked this letter against Professor Ford�s express wishes.

但事实是，总统先生，有人违背福特教授的明确意愿泄露了这封信。

I suspect, regrettably, that we will never know for certain who did it.

遗憾的是，我怀疑我们永远无法确定是谁干的。

To that leaker, who I hope is listening now, let me say that what you did was unconscionable.

我希望那个泄密者现在正在倾听，让我说你的所作所为是不合情理的。

You have taken a survivor who was not only entitled to your respect, but who also trusted you to protect her -- and you have sacrificed her well-being in a misguided attempt to win whatever political crusade you think you are fighting.

你带走了一位幸存者，她不仅应该得到你的尊重，而且还相信你会保护她——而你却牺牲了她的福祉，试图赢得你认为自己正在战斗的任何政治运动。

My only hope is that your callous act has turned this process into such a dysfunctional circus that it will cause the Senate -- and indeed all Americans -- to reconsider how we evaluate Supreme Court nominees.

我唯一的希望是，你们的冷酷行为使这一过程变成了一场功能失调的马戏团，以至于它会导致参议院——实际上是所有美国人——重新考虑我们如何评估最高法院提名人。

If that happens, then the appalling lack of compassion you afforded Professor Ford will at least have some unintended positive consequences.

如果发生这种情况，那么您对福特教授的令人震惊的缺乏同情心至少会产生一些意想不到的积极后果。

Mr. President, the politically charged atmosphere surrounding this nomination has reached a fever pitch even before these allegations were known, and it has been challenging even then to separate fact from fiction.

总统先生，甚至在这些指控曝光之前，围绕这项提名的政治紧张气氛就已经达到了白热化的程度，即使在那时，区分事实与虚构仍然具有挑战性。

We live in a time of such grace -- great disunity, as the bitter fight over this nomination, both in the Senate and among the public, clearly demonstrates.

我们生活在一个如此优雅的时代，但参议院和公众之间围绕这项提名的激烈斗争清楚地表明了这一点。

It is not merely a case of different groups having different opinions.

这不仅仅是不同群体有不同意见的情况。

It is a case of people bearing extreme ill will toward those who disagree with them.

这是人们对那些不同意他们的人怀有极端恶意的例子。

In our intense focus on our differences, we have forgotten the common values that bind us together as Americans.

在我们过度关注我们的差异时，我们忘记了将我们作为美国人联系在一起的共同价值观。

When some of our best minds are seeking to develop even more 7 sophisticated algorithms designed to link us to websites that only reinforce and cater to our views, we can only expect our differences to intensify.

当我们的一些最优秀的人才寻求开发更多 7 种复杂的算法来将我们链接到只会强化和迎合我们观点的网站时，我们只能期望我们的分歧会加剧。

This would have alarmed the drafters of our Constitution, who were acutely aware that different values and interests could prevent Americans from becoming and remaining a single people.

这会让我们宪法的起草者感到震惊，他们敏锐地意识到不同的价值观和利益可能会阻止美国人成为并保持单一民族。

Indeed, of the six objectives they invoked in the preamble to the Constitution , the one that they put first was the formation of "a more perfect Union." 8

事实上，在他们在宪法序言中援引的六个目标中，他们将其放在第一位的是建立“一个更完美的联盟”。 8

Their vision of a more perfect Union does not exist today, and if anything, we appear to be moving farther away from it.

他们关于更完美联邦的愿景今天并不存在，如果说有什么不同的话，那就是我们似乎离它越来越远。

It is particularly worrisome that the Supreme Court, the institution that most Americans see as the principal guardian of our shared constitutional heritage, is viewed as part of the problem -- through a political lens.

尤其令人担忧的是，大多数美国人将最高法院视为我们共同宪法遗产的主要监护人，但从政治角度来看，最高法院却被视为问题的一部分。

Mr. President, we�ve heard a lot of charges and counter charges about Judge Kavanaugh.

总统先生，我们听到了很多关于卡瓦诺法官的指控和反指控。

But as those who have known him best have attested, he has been an exemplary public servant, judge, teacher, coach, husband, and father.

但正如那些最了解他的人所证明的那样，他是一位模范公务员、法官、教师、教练、丈夫和父亲。

Despite the turbulent, bitter fight surrounding his nomination, my fervent hope is that Brett Kavanaugh will work to lessen the divisions in the Supreme Court, so that we have far fewer 5-4 decisions and so that public confidence in our Judiciary and our highest court is restored.

尽管围绕他的提名存在激烈而激烈的斗争，但我热切希望布雷特·卡瓦诺能够努力减少最高法院的分歧，从而使我们的 5-4 项裁决大大减少，从而恢复公众对我们司法机构和最高法院的信心。

Mr. President, I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh.

总统先生，我将投票确认卡瓦诺法官的任命。

Thank you, Mr. President.

谢谢总统先生。

Book/CDs by Michael E.

Michael E. 的书籍/CD

Eidenmuller, Published by McGraw-Hill (2008) 1 The organization in question was Women's March , which released a statement via e-mail entitled, "Women's March Statement on Trump's Extremist SCOTUS Nominee.

Eidenmuller，麦格劳-希尔出版 (2008) 1 该组织是“妇女游行”，该组织通过电子邮件发布了一份声明，题为“妇女游行关于特朗普极端主义 SCOTUS 提名人的声明”。

" Elsewhere in the statement, the candidate, Brett Kavanaugh, was mentioned by name.

在声明的其他地方，提到了候选人布雷特·卡瓦诺的名字。

Shortly after the first statement, a second, updated statement was released by the organization correcting the original omission.

在第一份声明发布后不久，该组织发布了第二份更新的声明，纠正了最初的遗漏。

[Source: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/oops-womens-march-denounces-xx-in-statement-on-brett-kavanaughs-supreme-court-nomination] 2 Full quotation: "'Generally speaking, when confronting a constitutional flaw in a statute, we try to limit the solution to the problem, severing any problematic portions while leaving the remainder intact.' Free Enterprise Fund v.

[资料来源：https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/oops-womens-march-denounces-xx-in-statement-on-brett-kavanaughs-supreme-court-nomination] 2 完整引用：“‘一般来说，当遇到法规中的宪法缺陷时，我们会尝试限制问题的解决方案，切断任何有问题的部分，同时保留其余部分完好无损。’自由企业基金诉。

Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, 561 U.S. 477, 508 (2010) (internal quotation marks omitted)." [Source: https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-dc-circuit/1750805.html]. 3 Delivered 5 September 2018 during Senate Confirmation Hearing.

上市公司会计监督委员会，561 U.S. 477, 508 (2010)（省略内部引号）。 [来源：https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-dc- Circuit/1750805.html]。 3 2018 年 9 月 5 日参议院确认听证会期间提交。

Extended quotation: "Hamdan is one of bin Laden's associates involved before September 11; the worst attack ever on American soil.

延伸引述：“哈姆丹是本·拉登的同伙之一，参与了 9 月 11 日之前发生的美国领土上最严重的袭击事件。

He's prosecuted before military commission, the signature prosecution of the Bush administration, comes to the D.C. Circuit, I'm on the panel.

他在军事委员会（布什政府的标志性起诉）来到华盛顿特区巡回法院之前受到起诉，我是小组成员。

I write the opinion saying that his military commission prosecution is unconstitutional.

我写的意见书说他的军事委员会起诉是违宪的。

It violates ex post facto principles.

它违反了事后原则。

You'll never have a nominee who's ruled for a more unpopular defendant than ruling for Salim Hamdan.

永远不会有一个提名人比萨利姆·哈姆丹 (Salim Hamdan) 更不受欢迎。

And why did I do that in that case?

那我为什么要这么做呢？

Why did I rule for someone who had been involved in the September 11?

为什么我要为参与 9 月 11 日事件的人做出裁决？

It's because the law compelled it, as Justice Kennedy showed us in the Texas versus Johnson case.

这是因为法律强迫这样做，正如肯尼迪大法官在德克萨斯州诉约翰逊案中向我们展示的那样。

We don't make decisions based on who people are, or their policy preferences, or the moment.

我们不会根据人们是谁、他们的政策偏好或时机来做出决定。

We base decisions on the law and Justice Kennedy's example of independence is something I've tried to follow." [Source: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1809/05/cnr.02.html, emphasis added] 4 Full Quotation: �Justice Kennedy wrote the majority opinion saying the days of treating gay and lesbian Americans, or gay and lesbian couples, as second-class citizens inferior in dignity and worth are over in the Supreme Court." {Source: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/kavanaugh-quotes-kennedy-in-vague-answers-on-homosexual-marriage-cases1] 5 Source : https://reason.com/volokh/2018/09/15/kavanaugh-testimony-part-4-on-stare-deci 6 Source : https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-05/kavanaugh-says-precedent-rooted-in-constitution-hearing-update 7 Original manuscript reads "ever-more" 8 "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union , establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." [emphasis added] Original Text Source : collins.senate.gov Original Text Source : C-SPAN.org Page Updated : 1/1/20 U.S. Copyright Status : This text and audio = Property of A merican R hetoric.com.

我们的决定基于法律，肯尼迪大法官的独立榜样是我努力效仿的。” [来源：http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1809/05/cnr.02.html，强调部分已添加] 4 完整引文：“肯尼迪法官撰写了多数意见，称最高法院将美国同性恋者或同性恋夫妇视为尊严和价值较低的二等公民的日子已经结束。” {来源： https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/kavanaugh-quotes-kennedy-in-vague-answers-on-homo Sex-marriage-cases1] 5 来源：https://reason.com/volokh/2018/09/15/kavanaugh-testimony-part-4-on-stare-deci 6 来源： https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-05/kavanaugh-says-precedent-rooted-in-constitution-hearing-update 7 原稿写着“永远更多” 8 “我们美国人民，为了组建一个更完美的联邦，建立正义，确保国内安宁，提供共同防御，促进普遍福利，并确保自由的祝福我们自己和我们的子孙后代，为美利坚合众国制定和建立这部宪法。”[强调] 原文来源：collins.senate.gov 原文来源：C-SPAN.org 页面更新：2020 年 1 月 1 日美国版权状态：本文和音频 = American R hetoric.com 的财产。

American Rhetoric.

美国修辞学。

中文为机器翻译，仅供参考。