"Strong faith" and the work of a judge

Here is an op-ed worth reading, "Strong Faith does not hinder a judge's work," from the Mobile Register, commenting on a recent speech, delivered here at Notre Dame, by Judge William Pryor, whose nomination "was the subject of heated debate specifically concerning whether his 'deeply held' Catholic beliefs would get in the way of his ability to neutrally interpret the laws of the land":

The very question is obnoxious, and it should have been put to rest at the same time similar questions about a president's faith were put to rest by the election of the Catholic John F. Kennedy.

But Judge Pryor, to his credit, dissected the issue in his speech with thoughtfulness and erudition. In light of the continuing and ill-considered questions that keep arising on the subject, his main points deserve attention.

The overarching message of the speech was that the whole idea of a tension between faith and judicial duty is not only overblown, but mistaken. Judge Pryor said that the truth is just the opposite: that a Catholic's faith requires a particularly strong fidelity to the nation's Constitution and laws.

Not only does a Catholic judge not need to choose between faith and his judicial duty, but a violation of the latter would be a violation of the former as well.

Why? Because his oath of office, sworn with his hand on the Bible while saying "so help me God," requires that he perform his duties defined "under the Constitution and laws of the United States."

There's more, about "complicity with evil," the possibility of recusal, etc.