Lincoln's philosophy on court nominations was that "we cannot ask a man what he will do, and if we should, and he should answer us, we should despise him for it.
lˈɪŋkənz fɪlˈɑːsəfi ˌɔn kˈoːɹt nˌɑːmᵻnˈeɪʃənz wʌz ðˈæt "wiː kænˈɑːt ˈæsk ɐ mˈæn wʌt hiː wɪl dˈuː, ænd ɪf wiː ʃˈʊd, ænd hiː ʃˌʊd ˈænsɚɹ ˌʌs, wiː ʃˌʊd dᵻspˈaɪz hˌɪm fɔːɹ ɪt.