Senator Barack Obama, on the qualities he would look for in a potential Supreme Court Justice if he is elected President:

We need somebody who's got the heart, the empathy, to recognize what it's like to be a young teenage mom. The empathy to understand what it's like to be poor, or African-American, or gay, or disabled, or old.

Ninth Circuit Judge Stephen Reinhardt, on the qualities of a good judge:

[I]n my view they include compassion, sensitivity, empathy for others, and a commitment to the pursuit of justice.

Hmmm......