Senate Democrats were successful yesterday in blocking yet another radically conservative judicial nominee put forth by the Bush administration, the seventh such extremist to have been blocked by Democratic filibusters. William G. Myers III was nominated to the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit for a lifetime seat. Myers has also praised what he considers the Supreme Court’s “retreat” from the protection of privacy, on which the rights to birth control and abortion rest. Environmental groups organized the major opposition because of his decades of fighting for the rights of cattle ranchers and the mining industry over the protection of the environment and the rights of Native Americans. In addition to his anti-environmental past, Myers received a partial Not Qualified rating from the American Bar Association, having never served as counsel in any criminal litigation, nor tried a jury case. Myers has only taken a dozen cases to verdict, half of which occurred prior to 1985. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), in a statement expressing her intent to vote against his confirmation, said, “I have serious reservations about whether he has the professional qualification to serve on the Ninth Circuit. I also have serious doubts about his ability to rule on cases, particularly environmental and land-use cases, in an impartial, even-handed way.” The Coalition for a Fair and Independent Judiciary, a group of 24 women’s and civil rights organizations, announced today that its members would simultaneously launch television and online advertisements educating the public about the extremely conservative views held by the judicial nominees of the Bush administration. The coalition, of which the Feminist Majority is a member, represents 5 million people who belong to organizations working for women’s rights, environmental protections, health issues, religious freedom, and gay and lesbian rights. The ad features nine nominees selected by the White House, some of which are currently pending in the Senate, demonstrating how far they are from the values of mainstream Americans through statements previously made by the nominees themselves. LEARN MORE View coalition ad on radically conservative judicial nominees LEARN MORE Click here to read women’s narratives about barriers or successes in accessing reproductive health and family planning services. DONATE to protect the right to a safe, legal abortion
Uncategorized
