奥巴马每周电视讲话：总统呼吁填补最高法院空缺

WeeklyAddress: It's Time to Fill the Vacancy¹ on the Supreme² Court

奥巴马每周电视演讲：是填补最高法院空缺的时候了

Hi, folks. Joe Biden here and I'm sitting with Tim Lewis, a retired³ federal judge who was nominated to the bench by a Republican President

嗨，大家好。与本人乔·拜登坐在一起的是蒂姆·刘易斯一名退休的联邦法官，他曾是共和党总统提名，

and confirmed by a Democratic Senate - within four weeks of a presidential election.

并在总统选举的四周内由民主党主政的参议院批准的。

Hello, everyone. That's right. And I'm living proof that President Obama's nominee⁴ to the Supreme Court

各位，你好。是的，我的经历证明奥巴马总统提名的最高法院

Chief Judge Merrick Garland-deserves similar consideration by today's Senate.

首席法官麦瑞克·加兰德，值得今天的参议院考虑。

Not only because Merrick Garland is recognized I might know - without exception - by the right and the left as one of America's sharpest legal minds and a model of integrity.

不仅因为我想我知道麦瑞克·加兰德得到左右两派一致肯定，是美国最有鲜明法律思想的正直典范。

But also because that's what the Constitution requires.

还因为这是宪法所要求的。

The sitting President shall-not may-but shall nominate someone to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court, with the advice and consent of the Senate.

现任总统应该，而不是可能，提名人选填补最高法院的空缺，与参议院磋商并获得通过。

That includes consulting and voting.

包括听证和投票。

Here's how it works. For 17 years, I was chairman or the ranking member of the top opposition⁵ party person and Senate Judiciary Committee, which overseas nominations⁷ to the Court, all court, all federal courts.

这是它的工作程序。17 年来，我是反对派成员，也是参议院司法委员会主席及核心成员，审核海外所有法院、所有联邦法院提名法官。

I presided over nine supreme court nominees-more than anyone alive. Some I supported. Others I didn't.

我经手了九个以上的提名，比任何人都多。有些我支持。另一些我反对。

But every nominee was greeted by committee members.

但每一个被提名的候选人都受到委员会成员的重视。

Every nominee got a committee hearing.

每个被提名者都会安排一次听证会。

Every nominee got out of the committee to the Senate floor, even when a nominee did'nt receive under the law's majority support in my committee to be reported out.

每一位被提名人都会提交参议院，即使被提名人没有得到法律规定的委员会多数成员支持。

As I thought the senate should advise the scene not the committee,

而且我认为参议院应该对这一事实提出建议，而不是委员会

And every nominee, including Justice Kennedy - in an election year-got an up or down vote by the Senate.

每位被提名者，包括肯尼迪大法官，在大选之年得以提交参议院直接投票表决。

Not much of the time. Not most of the time. Every single time.

不是多数情况，也不是大多数情况，而是每一次都如此。

That's the Constitution's clear rule of Advice and Consent.

这是宪法明确支持的规则。

And that's the rule being violated today by Senate Republicans.

而今天的参议院共和党人践踏这一规则。

Nobody is suggesting that Senators have to vote "yes" on a nominee.

没有人提议参议员对提名的人选只能投"赞成"票。

Voting "no" is always an option for any senetor.

投票"反对"一直是个选项。

But saying nothing, seeing nothing, reading nothing, hearing nothing, and deciding in advance, to simply to turn your back-is not an option the Constitution leaves open to United States.

但不说、不看、不读、不听，前期决定只是背向翻开的宪法不予提交表决。

And it has real consequences for all of us.

这对我们所有人都造成严重的后果。

In the four months since Merrick Garland's nomination⁶, we've already seen

麦瑞克·加兰德法官的提名过去 4 个月了， 我们已看到

how the Senate's refusal to act is preventing the Court from fulfilling its duty of interpreting what the law is and resolving conflicts in lower courts.

参议院拒绝采取行动正在妨碍法院履行其职责：解释法律、解决下级法院的矛盾。

This historic obstruction⁸ is leading to greater litigation costs and delays

历史性的问题是产生更大的诉讼成本和诉讼拖延，

the burden falling mostly on average Americans rather than corporations with endless resources.

美国人的平均负担难以降低而让政府无止境地消耗资源。

Unresolved decisions by the Supreme Court are leading to federal laws that should apply to the whole country being constitutional in some parts but unconstitutional in others.

最高法院未做的裁决正在导致应适用全国的联邦法律，有些符合宪法还有些却违宪。

If this continues, our freedom of speech, our freedom to practice our faith, our right to vote, our right to privacy-all could depend on where we happen to live.

如果这种情况继续下去，言论自由、信仰、选举权、隐私权等都可能取决于我们生活所在地。

And the longer the vacancy remains⁹ unfilled, the more serious the problem-with greater confusion and uncertainty¹⁰ about our safety and security.

首席法官长期空缺的更严重的问题是个人和国土安全更加无序而难以确保。

You know, if you have eight Justices on a court, Justice Scalia himself wrote, that it raises the, "possibility that, by reason of a tie vote,

如果在一个法院有八位法官， 法官斯卡利亚本人写道，会突出这种"可能由于票数的原因，

the Court will find itself unable to resolve the significant legal issues presented by the case."

法院将发现自己无法解决案例提出的重大法律问题。"

And if Republican Senators fail to act, it could be an entire year before a fully¹¹ staffed Supreme Court can resolve any significant issue before it.

如果共和党参议员未能采取行动，可能一整年都如此，在满员的最高法院能够解决任何重大问题之前。

Folks, there's enough dysfunction in Washington, D.C. Now is not the time for it to spread that dysfunction from the Congress to the Supreme Court.

诸位，华盛顿特区的功能障碍够多的了，现在不能从国会蔓延到最高法院。

And we're better than what we're seeing.

情况好于比我们所看到的。

As a country, we're only as strong as the traditions we value- that we sustain by dedicating ourselves to something bigger than ourselves.

作为一个国家，我们仅传统价值观强大，我们要尽最大努力保持其生命力。

Folks, the defining difference of our great democracy has always been

各位，我们伟大的民主的定义差异可以一直探讨，

that we can reason our way through to what ails¹² us and then act as citizens, voters, and public servants to fix it.

以什么方式摆脱困扰，而作为公民、选民和公务员去修复它。

But we have to act in good faith. For unless we can find common ground, we cannot govern.

但我们必须真诚地行动。因为只有找到共同点，我们才能治理。

So for the sake of the country we love-we all have to do our job.

为了我们热爱的这个国家， 我们都必须尽职尽责。

The President has done his. The Senate Republicans must do theirs.

总统已经做了他份内的事。参议院共和党人也必须做。

Thanks for listening and hope you have a great weekend.

谢谢大家，祝周末愉快。

1 vacancy   

n.（旅馆的）空位，空房，（职务的）空缺

参考例句：

• Her going on maternity leave will create a temporary vacancy.她休产假时将会有一个临时空缺。
• The vacancy of her expression made me doubt if she was listening.她茫然的神情让我怀疑她是否在听。

2 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

3 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

4 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

7 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句

8 obstruction   

n.阻塞，堵塞；障碍物

参考例句：

• She was charged with obstruction of a police officer in the execution of his duty.她被指控妨碍警察执行任务。
• The road was cleared from obstruction.那条路已被清除了障碍。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

11 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

12 ails   

v.生病( ail的第三人称单数 )；感到不舒服；处境困难；境况不佳

参考例句：

• He will not concede what anything ails his business. 他不允许任何事情来干扰他的工作。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Measles ails the little girl. 麻疹折磨着这个小女孩。 来自《简明英汉词典》