Empathy and the Rule of Law

May 4th, 2009 • Posted in: What They're Saying

“Now, the process of selecting someone to replace Justice Souter is among my most serious responsibilities as President. So I will seek somebody with a sharp and independent mind and a record of excellence and integrity. I will seek someone who understands that justice isn’t about some abstract legal theory or footnote in a case book. It is also about how our laws affect the daily realities of people’s lives…. I view that quality of empathy, of understanding and identifying with people’s hopes and struggles as an essential ingredient for arriving at just decisions and outcomes.”

– President Obama, in a statement released last week after he spoke with U.S. Supreme Court justice David Souter, who plans to retire this June after 19 years on the court

Source: White House release, May 1.

For more information, see: CNN, May 3 — AFP, May 1.

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