Wednesday, July 20, 2005

John Roberts

Regarding this question:
" I just heard on CNN that NARAL Pro-Choice has already come out and stated that "Roberts is an unsuitable candidate." Once again, the debate seems to be centering around Roe v. Wade. Are there any other precedents that we should consider?"

I wrote:
maybe. choice is the biggest issue i worry about as there is so very very much to lose, but other issues on which i think an appointed justice could have an impact include civil liberties, separation of church and state, affirmative action and gay marriage. i haven't done anything the least bit exhaustive to research it yet but reread the articles i skimmed yesterday regarding choice. the opening sentence of the NYTimes article struck me as quite curious:

"President Bush nominated John G. Roberts, a federal appeals court judge with a distinguished résumé and a conservative but enigmatic record, as his first appointment to the Supreme Court on Tuesday night, ...

i posted on another thread last night actually, asking:
"Does anyone have a good feel on whether this is a good thing or a bad thing? Given that vehement uproar could be anticipated for any nominee and the conflicting statements provided in both this article as well as the following that i lifted off the Pro-Choice forum, i am having trouble telling..."

and, as this quote from todays NY Times would attest, i may not be the only one...

"Now the question is whether Judge Roberts, if confirmed, will, like those two justices, commit himself to recapturing a distant constitutional paradise in which the court was faithful to the original intent of the framers or whether, like the justice he would succeed, he finds himself comfortably in the middle rather than at the margin.

His résumé suggests the latter, as does his almost complete lack of a paper trail."

sure, NARAL and NOW are having fits. they would have fits over anyone Bush nominated. the real question is whether Roberts is better or worse than other options we were likely to get...

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an excellent dissection of the debate can be found on Adam Felber's website where i also got the link to this very scary article. another article to send chills down the spines of liberals and women (and liberal women) everywhere...

anyone want to weigh in here?

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