The First Shot Fired Over The Bow
Ralph Neas for People for the American Way (PFAW) let loose the first volley against Roberts’ ascension by the president this morning. Cited below, this news release is courtesy of NRO’s Bench Memos.
Statement by People For the American Way President Ralph G. Neas
The death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist and President Bush’s nomination of John Roberts for Chief Justice of the United States raise the stakes for the Court and the American people exponentially. The Chief Justice has unique power and influence as the nation’s highest ranking judge. And replacing two justices at the same time will have an enormous impact on the Court and on Americans’ lives and liberties for decades.
People For the American Way opposed Roberts’ nomination to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in large part based on his hostility to the laws and remedies that protect Americans from discrimination and his longtime efforts to restrict the role of the courts in upholding Americans’ rights and legal protections. To an even greater degree, that record makes him unfit for the position of Chief Justice, and we will vigorously oppose his confirmation.
The events of the past week have only underscored that we need Supreme Court justices who value the role of the courts in protecting individuals’ rights and freedoms, who understand the nature of discrimination and its continuing impact on our country, and who will uphold the role of the federal government in preserving those rights and acting to protect the common good. John Roberts’ record makes it emphatically clear that he does not meet this standard.
The attention of the Senate should be on the tragedies still unfolding in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. With the stakes now even higher for the nation, it would be irresponsible for the Senate Judiciary Committee to conduct confirmation hearings this week. The justices who are appointed to replace O’Connor and Rehnquist will serve for decades. There should be no rush to confirm them without the full attention of the Senate and the American people.
Given these stakes, President Bush and John Roberts must be held to the highest standards of openness. President Bush must immediately provide documents he has been withholding from Robert’s tenure as principal deputy solicitor general in the first Bush administration. And Roberts must abandon the strategy of evasion that he pursued during his appeals court confirmation hearing and must be willing to fully answer senators’ questions about his approach to our Constitution. Excessive secrecy is an enemy of accountability and an enemy of representative democracy. Senators must be given the truth about Roberts’ judicial philosophy before they vote on whether to confirm him to the highest judicial seat in the nation.
Leave it to Ralph Neas to cite Hurricane Katrina in the same breath that he is attacking Judge Roberts. The "Pretty Frigging Asinine Wackos" (our acronym for PFAW) are going to pull out all the stops. Already in this release, Mr. Neas claims that "John Roberts’ record makes it emphatically clear that he does not meet this standard." On the contrary, I would like to challenge Mr. Neas on his claims. About two weeks ago, Thomas and I participated in a vetting process that was unprecedented as bloggers from across the nation began a dissemination of documents pertaining to Roberts the likes of which I doubt the Senate Judiciary Committee has ever been involved in.
The consensus? There is nothing in any of these documents—those that we dove into collectively, or those that have been released recently—that supports Mr. Neas claims that Roberts stands against any of the rights regarding discrimination, women’s rights, or reproductive right. Both Mr. Neas, and Nan Aron, of the Alliance For Justice, have stated that Roberts is openly hostile on these issues. He may be hostile to their interpretations, but not to the Constitution.
These two are in for a surprise. Roberts has nothing in his past that can kill his ascension to the high court’s highest position; a position held previously by his mentor and good friend, William H. Rehnquist. Likewise, those other nominees on the president’s list will have little controversy that surround them. All of them are originalists that firmly believe and abide by the text of the Constitution. That would be a Constitution that Mr. Neas and his Leftist cronies appear to be quite hostile towards.
The Bunny ;)
Ralph Neas for People for the American Way (PFAW) let loose the first volley against Roberts’ ascension by the president this morning. Cited below, this news release is courtesy of NRO’s Bench Memos.
Statement by People For the American Way President Ralph G. Neas
The death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist and President Bush’s nomination of John Roberts for Chief Justice of the United States raise the stakes for the Court and the American people exponentially. The Chief Justice has unique power and influence as the nation’s highest ranking judge. And replacing two justices at the same time will have an enormous impact on the Court and on Americans’ lives and liberties for decades.
People For the American Way opposed Roberts’ nomination to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in large part based on his hostility to the laws and remedies that protect Americans from discrimination and his longtime efforts to restrict the role of the courts in upholding Americans’ rights and legal protections. To an even greater degree, that record makes him unfit for the position of Chief Justice, and we will vigorously oppose his confirmation.
The events of the past week have only underscored that we need Supreme Court justices who value the role of the courts in protecting individuals’ rights and freedoms, who understand the nature of discrimination and its continuing impact on our country, and who will uphold the role of the federal government in preserving those rights and acting to protect the common good. John Roberts’ record makes it emphatically clear that he does not meet this standard.
The attention of the Senate should be on the tragedies still unfolding in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. With the stakes now even higher for the nation, it would be irresponsible for the Senate Judiciary Committee to conduct confirmation hearings this week. The justices who are appointed to replace O’Connor and Rehnquist will serve for decades. There should be no rush to confirm them without the full attention of the Senate and the American people.
Given these stakes, President Bush and John Roberts must be held to the highest standards of openness. President Bush must immediately provide documents he has been withholding from Robert’s tenure as principal deputy solicitor general in the first Bush administration. And Roberts must abandon the strategy of evasion that he pursued during his appeals court confirmation hearing and must be willing to fully answer senators’ questions about his approach to our Constitution. Excessive secrecy is an enemy of accountability and an enemy of representative democracy. Senators must be given the truth about Roberts’ judicial philosophy before they vote on whether to confirm him to the highest judicial seat in the nation.
Leave it to Ralph Neas to cite Hurricane Katrina in the same breath that he is attacking Judge Roberts. The "Pretty Frigging Asinine Wackos" (our acronym for PFAW) are going to pull out all the stops. Already in this release, Mr. Neas claims that "John Roberts’ record makes it emphatically clear that he does not meet this standard." On the contrary, I would like to challenge Mr. Neas on his claims. About two weeks ago, Thomas and I participated in a vetting process that was unprecedented as bloggers from across the nation began a dissemination of documents pertaining to Roberts the likes of which I doubt the Senate Judiciary Committee has ever been involved in.
The consensus? There is nothing in any of these documents—those that we dove into collectively, or those that have been released recently—that supports Mr. Neas claims that Roberts stands against any of the rights regarding discrimination, women’s rights, or reproductive right. Both Mr. Neas, and Nan Aron, of the Alliance For Justice, have stated that Roberts is openly hostile on these issues. He may be hostile to their interpretations, but not to the Constitution.
These two are in for a surprise. Roberts has nothing in his past that can kill his ascension to the high court’s highest position; a position held previously by his mentor and good friend, William H. Rehnquist. Likewise, those other nominees on the president’s list will have little controversy that surround them. All of them are originalists that firmly believe and abide by the text of the Constitution. That would be a Constitution that Mr. Neas and his Leftist cronies appear to be quite hostile towards.
The Bunny ;)
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 1:17 PM
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