奥巴马每周电视演讲20160319：奥巴马总统提名最高法院大法官
Weekly Address: President Obama’s Supreme Court Nomination (March 19, 2016)
奥巴马每周电视讲话：奥巴马总统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！宪法赋予总统最重要的一项职责就是提名最高法院大法官人选。正是这些大法官守护着我们的各项权利。正是他们，确保我们生活在一个法制社会，而不是人治社会。他们承担的最基本的职责就是利用这些写入立国宣言的基本原则，来解决我们面临的各种最艰巨的挑战。
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，我非常严肃的对待我的这项责任。这也要求我将短期的政治利益搁置一边，与立国先贤们保持一致。周三，经过数周与共和党、民主党及全国各地的领导的磋商，我选择了一位提名人，他拥有无与伦比的经验，为人正直，深受两党的尊重和爱戴，他就是首席法官梅里克?贾兰德。
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.
贾兰德法官在我的家乡芝加哥长大，从小，他的父母就教育他要努力奋斗，为人正直。作为一名年轻律师，他离开了待遇丰厚的私人律所，投身公共法律服务，收入只有前者的一半。在他参与审理俄克拉荷马市爆炸案的过程中，他代表联邦与应急工作人员并肩作战，与受害者及其家属站在一起，惩治这一滔天罪行，为人们带来正义。调查期间他所到之处都随身携带一个公文包，里面是他参加每一位受害者追悼会的名单。
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.
过去19年里，贾兰德法官供职于众所周知的“联邦第二高等法院”——华盛顿特区巡回法院——最近三年，他一直担任首席大法官。在这个位置上，他展现出对保护人们基本权利的执着与奉献精神；对强权不能压制民众发表自己的意见的坚守；对正义不仅仅是简单的法律理论，而是影响到每个人的日常生活的深刻理解；以及在工作中表现出来的正直、稳重、公正的精神。正因他对家庭的爱和奉献以及公民精神，贾兰德法官深受爱戴，过去18年里，他一直在华盛顿特区一所小学担任辅导员，教育小学生。
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.
我担任总统期间，共经历了三次最高法院大法官任命过程，在与共和党和民主党议员们交流的过程中，有一个名字出现的次数是最多的，那就是梅里克?贾兰德。
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.
我知道当前处在总统大选关键时期，也是意见纷飞的特殊时期。但当我们的政治环境变得偏激，政治语言的规范和传统受到冲击的时候，正是我们应该严肃对待最高法院大法官人选问题的时候，这也是我们对待这个位置应有的态度。因为最高法院应该高于政治，它不是政治的延伸。它应该有自己的独立性。
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，我请求共和党参议员们给贾兰德法官应有的尊重。召开听证会。给他一次投票的机会。拒绝这么做将是参议院对宪法赋予职责的亵渎。也意味着对提名和确认大法官的流程而言，需要的远不是简单修补。这也将让任何一位总统，无论他是共和党人还是民主党人，都将逐渐无法行使其宪法赋予的职责。按照这条路走下去，我们的司法体系就会走入死胡同，我们的民主体制将会受损，也违背了立国先贤们描绘的蓝图。
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.
我已经完成了宪法赋予我的职责。现在轮到参议员们了。我希望大家抓紧时间，认真考虑此事对国家的重要性。我也希望大家公平应对此事。我希望大家以两党合作的风范确认梅里克?贾兰德进入最高法院。这是我们坚守自由与公正的方式，为了我们大家，为了我们的时代，也为了未来的子孙后代。
Thanks everybody. Have a good weekend.
谢谢大家，祝周末愉快！