Current Events: Federal Judge Battle
2006-01-12: Update: Meek Mild and Menacing- Sidney Blumenthal's article on Judge Alito's belief in unbridled presidential power. Judge Alito was a member in a discriminatory group which opposed the acceptance of blacks or women at Princeton. Alito claimed he had no memory of being involved in the organization even though he mentioned the group on the job application.
2006-01-10: Alito: UUA Action Alert The UUA opposes the Alito confirmation as another threat to civil liberties. For more information about Judge Alito, the UUA recommends http://www.uua.org/news/2005/051212_alito/index.html or www.supremecourtwatch.org. Unlike Judge Roberts, Alito is not simply a corporate lawyer. Many experts claim that Alito has a record of consistently bias in favor of big business, big government, at the expense of ordinary people, including supporting the government's ability to intrude on our personal lives, see Abortion, Presidential Power and Civil rights: A Debate on the Nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, for a discussion of these issues.
2005-11-01: Samuel Alito: Leading the Attack on Fundamental Legal Rights and Protections for All Americans People for the American Way cite the conservative judge's hostility to basic reproductive rights, rejection of protection for workers and his leadership against federal laws protecting individual. See also, The Next Antonin Scalia and Bush Picks Conservative Judge Samuel Alito Who Endorsed Abortion Restrictions for Supreme Court.
2005-10-27: Miers Supreme Court Nomination Withdrawn Under Conservatives' Fire.
2005-10-04: Bush Nominates Attorney Harriet Miers for Supreme Court Article covers background on Harriet Miers who has never served as a judge. Despite not answering many questions, Judge Roberts was confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Chief Justice Renhquist died 9-3, allowing for his replacement as chief justice by John Roberts.
2005-08-30: Americans for Separation of Church and State have a nice piece on Supreme Court nominee John Roberts, "Religious Minorities At Risk," the 19 page report concludes that Roberts throughout his legal and political career has opposed Supreme Court decisions upholding church-state separation and ensuring freedom of conscience for all Americans.
2005-05-26: Senate confirms Pricilla Owens. The "nuclear option" was canceled Monday as Senators reached a compromise Monday evening. The UUA Advocacy recommends calling ones Senators to deny Pricilla Owen's confirmation, see the latest filibuster alert. Further, see Radical, Activist Judge Priscilla Owen and Battle Over Judicial Nominees, appointed to force the country to be a "Christian nation." The following article in Americans United for Separation of Church and State is worth reading: Mis-Guided Tour: Senate Majority Leader Frist Promotes 'Christian Nation' Propagandist. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist took part in an April 24 broadcast sponsored by the Family Research Council entitled "Justice Sunday: the filibuster against people of faith." The event calls supporters of the filibuster "enemies of faith," and claims that judges are being opposed for their Christian beliefs. UUA President Bill Sinkford issued a press release- UUA President Challenges Senator Frist's Claims About Faith. For background information, see Hatching A New Filibuster Precedent by John W. Dean. For more involvement, see UUA's Action Alert. As mentioned in the Harpers article listed below, the Constitution Restoration Act of 2005 has been re-introduced in Congress to eliminate separation of church and state, see Say Hello To Taliban America And Goodbye To Godless Judges, Courts And Law, thanks Deborah Helle. urt decisions upholding church-state separation and ensuring freedom of conscience for all Americans.
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