Giuliani says he'd appoint conservative judges

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani, viewed with suspicion by some in his party for his support of abortion and gay rights, vowed on Friday to put conservatives on the Supreme Court if elected.

Speaking to the Federalist Society, a conservative group that places a heavy emphasis on states' rights, the former New York mayor said he would model his nominations after Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Antonin Scalia, two of the most conservative judges on the highest U.S. court.

"We're seeking to find judges who understand the very, very important concept that judges exist to interpret the law, not amend the law," he told the group. "We believe in the rule of the law, not in the rule of judges."

"Our constitutional principles instruct us that we have to recognize the limitations on power as a way protecting our liberty," said Giuliani, who served as a senior official in the Reagan administration's Justice Department.

He emphasized that the next president would likely appoint some 200 judges to federal courts. He said he would try to convince the U.S. Congress to change its long-standing rules that allow a single U.S. senator to block confirmation of a judicial nominee, a practice that has been used to stymie some of President George W. Bush's nominees.

But he would face a hard time doing that because the Senate is currently controlled by the Democrats and many political analysts believe they might be able to increase their numbers in the November 4, 2008, election since they have fewer seats to defend.

"The next president is going to have to call on the Senate to change its rules and ask the Senate to really take seriously what advice and consent means," he said, referring to the Senate's constitutional duty to give input on nominees.

"What advice and consent means is that someone, if sent there by the president, should get an up or down vote within a reasonable period of time."

Giuliani departs from many in the Federalist Society with his support for abortion rights, gay rights and gun control. Thus, many conservatives have been wary of backing him and some have considered finding a third-party candidate.

With his more moderate positions, Giuliani has led in national opinion polls but has lagged in surveys in the conservative early primary voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire.

(Editing by David Alexander and Eric Walsh)

(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at http://blogs.reuters.com/category/events/trail08/)