John Roberts was confirmed as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court today by a vote of 78 to 22 in the US Senate. Roberts was opposed by leading civil rights, women’s rights, civil liberties, disability rights, labor, separation of church and state, and lesbian and gay rights groups, including the Feminist Majority.
“I do not believe the vote would be the same if women made up half the Senate and African Americans and Latinos were represented in adequate numbers,” said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority. “We are not discouraged, however, and we are ready to fight any stealth candidate or opponent to women’s rights for the Supreme Court.”
“For the next nomination, the balance of the Court will clearly be in focus, and we believe the number of ‘no’ votes will increase dramatically if the candidate is opposed to fundamental rights or is a stealth candidate,” Smeal continued. “We are grateful that 22 Senators stood up against the massive business lobby for Roberts today and were not willing to gamble away fundamental rights.”
