Statement of Alliance for Justice President Nan Aron Calling for an End to Confirmation of Controversial Judicial Nominees

April 3, 2008, Washington DC—Nan Aron, president of Alliance for Justice, today called on the Senate Judiciary Committee to reject Republican demands for confirmation of court of appeals judges who do not have a demonstrated commitment to equal justice for all.

"Today's insistence by Ranking Member Arlen Specter that the Senate Judiciary Committee give hearings next week to three nominees to the Fourth Circuit is part of President Bush's relentless scheme to secure an ultraconservative hold on the judiciary for decades to come by sliding bad nominees in under the wire. The Senate has a Constitutional responsibility to protect the rights of all Americans by putting a stop to this plan. Today, by reporting favorably the nomination of Catharina Haynes to the Fifth Circuit, the Committee has shamefully shirked its responsibility and, instead, has greased the wheels of President Bush's court-packing machine.

"Most of President Bush's nominees have been selected to galvanize his extreme right-wing base, and many were put forward without consultation with or support of their home state Senators. This administration's extremist judicial appointees already dominate nearly all the federal courts around the country. From weakening employment discrimination protections to advancing the cause of big-business interests at the expense of consumers, Bush's impact on the federal bench has undone decades of progress.

"When judicial nominations are used as political pawns and the Senate does not take its role seriously, ordinary Americans pay the price. The time has come for the Senate to stand up to President Bush and refuse to allow politics to be the driving force behind every nomination to the federal bench. From this point forward, no controversial judicial nominee should receive a hearing from the Senate Judiciary Committee."