by Tom Shaheen

RIP Robert H. Bork 1927-2012

Judge Robert Bork was nominated by President Reagan in 1987 to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court but his nomination was successfully blocked from Senate confirmation by a full-scale verbal attack (now known as “Borking”) on his character by then Senators Ted Kennedy, Joe Biden (now our Vice President) and former longtime Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter. Why? Not because he was unqualified. Not because he did not have the experience. But because he thought Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided, and because he thought judges should play a role limited by our Constitution! And that was anathema – to the abortion promoters and political Left who relied on judicial activism to get what they wanted without legislative or public debate.

Bork family friend and author Roger Kimball wrote: The vicious campaign waged against Judge Bork set a new low—possibly never exceeded—in the exhibition of unbridled leftist venom, indeed hate.

The pro-life legal group Americans United for Life issued a statement honoring Bork, that’s worth reading:

Americans United for Life honors the memory of Judge Robert Bork, who passed away early this morning at the age of 84. One of the greatest of American jurists, Bork is most notably remembered for his emphasis on interpreting the Constitution according to its original intent, rather than the whims of the judge stating, “In a constitutional democracy the moral content of law must be given by the morality of the framer or legislator, never by the morality of the judge” We stand with the Bork family, and will strive to preserve the legacy he left behind.