Call the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to order. We thank our witnesses for being here, and im looking forward to your testimony. As much of the world concentrates on the isis threat and instability in the middle east, the Committee Takes this opportunity to consider efforts by the United States and other partners to counter extremism in the Subsaharan African area. Longterm development has been the norm across much of africa including here tell you what. Ben, even with large letters i cant see anymore. [laughter] including here in our committee with the recent signing of the power africa legislation, which were all very proud of and appreciate the way the administration has led on that effort also, that we hope will help bring investment to a key sector for Economic Growth and opportunity. Whereas in the middle east we have been reacting to abhorrent state and terrorist violence and the uprooting of millions of people, in africa weve had the opportunity of years of influence thro
Michael obviously there is a lot of political intrigue in the Supreme Court. A lot of powerful people are interested in the decisions that you come to any effects that they have on Public Policy and commerce. My question is, what if any effect is that political interests have on the court decisionmaking process, and what steps do you take to maybe isolate yourself from that political interest . Is it just something that you and the other justices get used to overtime . Justice sotomayor you do not get on the court unless you are a concerned citizen. Every single justice has had a career in which they have devoted their lives, in some form or a the other or the other to the public view. Even any private practice they have been involved in activities that do public service. We are, by nature, citizen lawyers. You do not work as hard as we work, reach where we have reached, unless we have shown that to the powers that be. We get selected because we are the very best at some aspect of the