[Sen.] [FIRST NAME] [LAST NAME]
Washington, DC

RE: Please SCRUTINIZE Any Supreme Court Nominee

Dear [Sen.] [LAST NAME]:

I'm writing to ask you to please follow President Barack Obama's own advice in considering possible nominees for the U.S. Supreme Court, as Justice Souter has announced his upcoming retirement.

On January 31, 2006, then-Senator Barack Obama sent out a detailed, in-depth podcast where he made the following statements: "There are some who believe that the President, having won the election, should have complete authority to appoint his nominee, and that the Senate should only examine whether or not the judge is intellectually capable..."

Then he declared, "I DISAGREE WITH THIS VIEW... meaningful advice and consent includes an examination of a judge's philosophy, ideology and record."

I agree with that statement -- and I believe the vast majority of Americans do, too. What we ALL want to see is that the Senate apply the same scrutiny for President Obama's appointees as it did for President Bush's appointees. And, if that nominee is deemed to be out of the mainstream of average America -- left OR right -- then such a nominee should be REJECTED.

As then-Senator Obama stated as his reasons for opposing Chief Justice Roberts' nomination and joining in the effort to filibuster the Alito nomination, the Senate needs to consider a nominee's “deepest values, core concerns, and broader perspectives on how the world works." Please, don't just give an "easy pass" to judicial nominees, especially for the highest court in the land. The American people deserve more than that. Thank you.

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]
[ADDRESS]
[CITY], [STATE] [ZIP]