U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy Praises Successful Visit to Hungary

July 16, 2010

Justice Anthony Kennedy and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán share a laugh at their meeting on July 15.

(July 16, 2010)  Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy of the U.S. Supreme Court ended today a successful four-day visit to Hungary.  On July 15, he had  a warm and productive exchange on broad constitutional principles and the rule of law in a meeting with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Foreign Minister János Martonyi.  

Justice Kennedy’s visit comes as Hungary begins a process to rewrite its Constitution.   Regarding this process, Justice Kennedy said, “The people of Hungary have the opportunity to restate to the world their commitment to freedom.”  He referred to the U.S. Constitution, saying that “The Constitution gives us our definition and concept of the American self; it embodies the aspirations of a people.”
 
Justice Kennedy also shared ideas with Justice Minister Tibor Navracsics.  In addition, he had professional, working sessions with Chief Justice of the Supreme Court András Baka and the  President of the Constitutional Court Péter Paczolay.  Justice Kennedy said that he was delighted with the level of enthusiasm and expertise he found during his discussions, and promised to assist in creating more opportunities for dialogue on judicial and constitutional issues.