This past Friday Conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro tweeted, “It’s time to end Judicial Hearings. They’re a stupid waste of time.” That’s hyperbole of course, but if you’ve watched the Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings for Judge Brett Kavanaugh this past week, you have to admit the system doesn’t seem to be working very well.
The Senate hearings were intended to provide a reasonable means to determine a nominee’s worthiness for the Supreme Court – a crucial position in our system of government. However, the current hearings have been repeatedly interrupted by scores of screaming protesters, marred by hostile accusations from partisan senators against one another and dominated by long-winded politicians who seem all-too-eager to perform for the television cameras.
“This surely has been the most contentious hearing since (Clarence) Thomas in 1991”, said University law professor Lori Ringhand who has written a history of court confirmation hearings. “Cooperation among committee members seems to have completely broken down.”
Most political analysts agree that all the examinations of past rulings and all the attempts to ask “gotcha” questions probably won’t sway a single vote. Respected pundits concede that Judge Kavanaugh is well-qualified and will be confirmed by a narrow margin. They conclude the prolonged confirmation hearings are just “political theater.” No wonder the average American is disgusted with politics and Congress has such a low approval rating.
Most of us think to ourselves, “Surely there’s got to be a better way!”
Maybe congress could learn a lesson about vetting candidates from Matthew Wilks’ method of determining character. In the early 1800’s the colorful Mr. Wilks was asked to ascertain the worthiness of a young man who had applied with the London Missionary Society to go to India as a missionary. Wilks was appointed to interview the young man and determine his fitness for such a noble calling. That probably struck terror into the candidate because Wilks had a reputation for being shrewd, eccentric, and often brusque, if not downright abrasive.
Mathew Wilks wrote to the aspiring missionary and told him to meet him the next morning at six o’clock. Although the applicant lived many miles away, he was at Wilks’ home precisely at 6:00 a.m. and was ushered into the drawing room. He waited—-and waited—-and waited, wondering why the delay.
Finally, Matthew Wilks entered the room about mid-morning. Without apology Wilks began, “Well, young man, so you want to be a missionary?”
“Yes, sir, I do.”
“Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ?”
“Yes, sir, I certainly do.”
“Do you have any education?”
“Yes, sir, a little.”
“Well, let’s see what you know. Can you spell ‘cat’?”
The young man looked a bit bewildered and hardly knew how to answer. But after a long pause, he replied steadily, “c..a..t, – cat.”
“Very good,” said Mr. Wilks. “Now can you spell ‘dog’?”
Again the youth was stunned but replied, “d..o..g, -dog.”
“Well, that is right,” Wilks responded. “I see that you will do well in spelling. Let’s test your math. How much is two times two?”
The patient young man gave the right reply and was then dismissed and sent home.
Matthew Wilks then gave his report at the next committee meeting. He said, “I cordially recommend this young man. His testimony and character I have thoroughly examined. I tried his self-denial, he was up in the morning early. I tried his patience by keeping him waiting. I tried his humility and temper by insulting his intelligence. He will do just fine.”
Of course, that’s not an adequate vetting process for a Supreme Court justice. However, I have to admit that while I like what I’ve read about Judge Kavanaugh’s past positions I am more impressed with his present disposition. Come to think of it, maybe the Judicial hearings work better than I thought! Brett Kavanaugh has displayed impressive patience, self-control, and poise under incredible pressure. He’s endured a lot of badgering without getting rattled or appearing totally exasperated. He will do just fine.
Matthew Wilks’ simple test reminds us that in the end, it’s faithfulness, integrity, humility, justice, compassion, and self-control that really matter to God. And those qualities are most often proven in common, everyday experiences.
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)
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