When I first became President, I knew that not every decision I made would be popular. Maybe the Republican representatives in Congress would have a problem with my initiatives on health care while the Democrats wouldn't support me when I decided to escalate our country's involvement in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Religious conservatives have certainly made their opinions known concerning my efforts to establish equal rights for same-sex couples in the workplace and elsewhere. Now I face a decision that many Presidents never have to confront, and for the second time no less. It is my task to select a new Supreme Court Justice. Though there was a small amount of controversy when I appointed Judge Sonia Sotomayor, she held her own and passed through the confirmation process with incredible grace. I can't say we've seen eye to eye on all of her decisions in that seat, but I respect the work she has done. To that end, I can honestly say that I feel the exact same way about the individual I support to fill Judge Souter's post. Without hesitation, I submit the request for Congress to confirm Judge Judith Sheindlin.

I know what the arguments against the confirmation of Judge Judy are going to be. Many will say that she is little more than a TV judge, that she hasn't held an actual United States legal bench for well over a decade. To that I say, I have enough faith in the American people to believe they can see justice at work in all of its many forms. Whether in a proper court where legally binding rulings are handed down by confirmed judges and juries, or on a daytime television set designed to mimic the superficial trappings of courts as they have been depicted in popular media, truth is truth. No one can deny that Judge Judy stands for truth, that she tells it like it is.

For too long there has been an overwhelming amount of guff in the United States legal system. As anyone who has ever seen Judge Judy at work can tell, she has little patience for guff. One might say that her court is a guff-free zone, or at least an environment that is extremely hostile to guff. I have personally witnessed Judge Sheindlin do such unorthodox but highly effective things as interrupting defendants who attempt to twist the telling of real events in their favor and warning arrogant plaintiffs when they begin to give Her Honor lip. I believe the US Supreme Court could use a strong dose of that no-nonsense attitude.

Confirming Judge Judy will also be a huge step forward in government transparency. Judge Sheindlin is currently still in a contract with CBS for several more seasons of her show. If she is confirmed, I intend on honoring that contract by allowing Judy's camera crew to tape during proceedings. For the first time in American history, anyone with a television will be able to see how the highest judicial body in our nation operates. If things work out the way they should, perhaps Judge Judy will even get a deal for an extended reality show that will follow her beyond the courtroom and into the chambers where she and the other justices will deliberate on the most important cases in the country. Pardon my unprofessional enthusiasm, but I think that would be awesome-socks.

So, to the men and women in Congress and to the American people in general, I urge you to support my nomination of Judge Judith Sheindlin to the Supreme Court. Her grit, intelligence and steadfast commitment to the word and spirit of the law will be an invaluable asset to our great nation's pursuit of the perfection of justice.