Like All Jews, I Was Probably At

To Have The Opportunity To Lead The Solicitor General's Office Is The Honor Of A Lifetime. As You Know, This Is An Office With A Long And Rich Tradition, Not Only Of Extraordinary Legal Skill But Also Of Extraordinary Professionalism And Integrity. That Is Due, In Large Measure, To The People Who Have Led It.

I've Led A School Whose Faculty And Students Examine And Discuss And Debate Every Aspect Of Our Law And Legal System. And What I've Learned Most Is That No One Has A Monopoly On Truth Or Wisdom. I've Learned That We Make Progress By Listening To Each Other, Across Every Apparent Political Or Ideological Divide.

I Think That If There Are Positions That You Can't Argue... Then The Responsibility Is Probably To Resign. If One's Own Conscience Is Opposed To The Requirements And Responsibilities Of The Job, Then It's Time To Leave The Job.

It's Not That There Are No Masters, But That There Are Many. And The Job Of The Solicitor General Is To Balance Those Masters And To Accommodate Them All, Each In Their Proper Places, Wisely And Well And In So Doing To Represent The People Of The United States.

I Do Not Espouse The Unitarian Position. President Clinton's Assertion Of Directive Authority Over Administration, More Than President Reagan's Assertion Of A General Supervisory Authority, Raises Serious Constitutional Questions.