By Andy Leheny
On September 29, 2005, as you assumed the Office of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, you took two oaths, the Judicial and the Constitutional Oaths of Office.
Under the Judicial Oath you swore to “administer justice without respect to persons, and to do equal right to the poor and to the rich.” Under the Constitutional Oath you “freely” swore “true faith and allegiance” to the Constitution and to “defend” it “against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
Before our nation, before people throughout the world who treasure individual freedom, the character of your commitment to solemn oaths is now being tested.
I am writing to you as a citizen of the United States, a grandchild of immigrants who invested in the promise of America. I embrace the ideals of our nation, and am concerned our commitment to the Constitution’s ideals of truth and justice for all are being corrupted.
False arguments are being offered which may deter you from acting in full support of the solemn oaths you have taken.
In voting to deny witnesses and documents in the Impeachment Trial of Donald J. Trump. Senator Lamar Alexander argues the House case is proven but that Trump’s actions do not meet the “high bar for an impeachable offense.” Senator Alexander argues “let the people decide” in the 2020 election how to respond to Trump’s “inappropriate” acts.
Senator Alexander ignores the current reality in poll after poll that up to 75% of the American public want relevant witnesses and documents. It is apparent the citizens of our nation want to know what happened. They want a fair trial, not a process which hides or obscures truth.
Senator Alexander’s stance blocks the American people from knowing information which may prove Trump’s acts were more damning than just “inappropriate.” On the other hand, witnesses and documents might mitigate Trump’s actions.
The question which Senator Elizabeth Warren forwarded for you to read, about the impact of the trial on the American people’s perception of you and the Supreme Court, is a critical issue to be addressed.
The oaths you took require that you do what all but two GOP senators refused to do. To permit the calling of relevant witnesses and that the subpoena of relevant documents be honored. The perception of you and the Supreme Court must not be as being politically motivated
The calling of relevant witnesses, and subpoena of pertinent documents, is not a Republican or Democratic issue. The Constitution, and the oaths you have taken to defend it, demand a fair trail. Trump’s public statements to block witnesses and documents, despite his attorneys’ after the fact attempts to redefine his actual words, is a blatant attempt to place himself above the laws of our nation.
It is imperative that you defend the Constitution and permit relevant witnesses and documents.
Oaths demand an adherence to one’s promise. All senators swore impartiality for Trump’s impeachment trial. Yet both Senator Mitch McConnell and Senator Lindsey Graham stated publicly they would not be impartial jurors. Now Senator Graham has been implicated in Trump’s actions. Senator McConnell is coordinating with the accused, President Trump. Knowing this Conflict of Interest. how could senators McConnell and Graham been permitted to serve as jurors? Without their votes, the issue on witnesses would have been tied 49-49, with you determining what the Constitution requires.
Myself, and many Americans fear our institutions are being compromised. The Department of Justice, under William Barr, declined to investigate the Whistle Blower compliant against Donald Trump. Previously, Attorney General Barr misled the American public on the findings of the Mueller Report. The GOP majority of the Senate are appointing for life judges who share their political views but have been determined “not qualified” by the American Bar Association.
The American perception of justice will be profoundly impacted by the Impeachment trial of Donald J. Trump. Will the American Public perceive the Scales of Justice still reflect our nation’s commitment to truth and justice, or that some persons, or even one, are above the law.
It is the hope of most Americans that you will honor the oaths you have taken.
We Americans see corruption growing within our nation. How can that fact be disputed when 51 of 53 Republican senators argue a fair trial, in the United States of America, is not necessary? The great majority of the American People are praying that you, Chief Justice John Roberts, have the courage to rule that a fair trial is demanded by our Constitution.
May the Constitution guide you and the Supreme Court of the United States of America.
Sincerely
Andy Leheny
Citizen
The Focus 