Who Are the Judges Being Filibustered?

[Tigermike 3,050]

Who Are the Judges Being Filibustered?

compiled by Aaron Atwood, assistant editor

You've heard Democrats say they're using filibusters to keep "unqualified" and "radical" judges off the federal bench. Decide for yourself by reading these mini biographies of some of the men and women being blocked.

Janice Rogers Brown

Nominated to the Washington D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals

Born: May 11, 1949, in Laverne, Ala.

Current Occupation: Associate Justice, California Supreme Court

Education: B.A. Economics from California State University, Sacramento;

Juris Doctor from the University of California, Los Angeles

Marital Status: Married

Where she stands:

Brown has said, "I really don't think that the conservative view that I have, which is a classical conservatism, is ideological at all. But I can certainly say that I'm not ideological as a judge."

Hi-Voltage Wire Works v. City of San Jose: Brown ruled, with the entire California Supreme Court as well, that California's proposition 209, allowing special preference in choosing city contractors based on gender and ethnicity, was unconstitutional. Brown is being lambasted for the ruling though it was a unanimous decision on the part of the Court.

American Academy of Pediatrics vs. Lungren: Brown disagreed that a statute requiring minors to notify parents before having abortions was illegal. Two other justices also dissented, including Justice Stanley Mosk, well-known for his pro-abortion ideology.

Qualifications:

Brown is the first African-American woman to serve as an associate justice on the California Supreme Court and was re-elected with 76 percent of the vote, the highest vote percentage of all justices on the ballot.

1996-Present: Associate Justice California Supreme Court

1998-1999: Adjunct Professor University of the Pacific MacGeorge School of Law

1994-1996: Associate Justice, California Court of Appeals for the 3rd District

1991-1994: Legal Affairs Secretary, Gov. Pete Wilson

1990-1991: Senior Associate, Nielsen, Merksamer, Parinello, Mueller & Naylor

1987-1990: Deputy Secretary and General Counsel, State of California Business, Transportation & Housing Agency

1979-1987: Deputy Attorney General, California Department of Justice

* * * * *

Priscilla R. Owen

Nominated to 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

Born: Oct. 4, 1954, in Palacios, Texas

Current Occupation: Justice, Texas Supreme Court

Education: B.A. Degree from Baylor University in 1975; law degree from Baylor University School of Law.

Where she stands:

Parental notification for abortion: Owen has consistently ruled that the Texas law requiring girls to give their parents notification before getting an abortion must be interpreted in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's verdicts. Owen did not rule that abortions should be outlawed, just that parents should be notified in all but the most extreme cases.

Marriage: Owen was instrumental in organizing a group known as Family Law 2000, which seeks to find ways to educate parents about the effect that the dissolution of a marriage can have on their children and to lessen the adversarial nature of legal proceedings when a marriage is dissolved.

Qualifications:

American Bar Association rated Owen unanimously "well-qualified," the highest rating it gives.

1995-Present: Justice, Supreme Court of Texas

1978-1994: Associate & Partner, Andrews, Kurth, Campbell & Jones

1976-1977: Law Clerk, Sheehy, Lovelace & Mayfield

* * * * *

William Pryor

Nominated to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

Born: April 26, 1962, in Mobile, Ala.

Current Occupation: Circuit Judge, 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

Education: B.A., magna cum laude, Northeast Louisiana University, 1984; law degree, magna cum laude, Tulane University, 1987

Marital Status: Married

Where he stands:

Speaking at a rally for Judge Roy Moore: "God has chosen, through his son Jesus Christ, this time, this place for all Christians—Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox—to save our country and save our courts."

Lawrence v. Texas: On behalf of Alabama, Pryor filed a brief urging the Supreme Court to uphold Texas' law banning sodomy. Pryor noted that a supposed "constitutional right that protects 'the choice of one's partner' and 'whether and how to connect sexually' must logically extend to activities like prostitution, adultery, necrophilia, bestiality, possession of child pornography, and even incest and pedophilia."

Qualifications:

Democratic Alabama Governor Don Siegelman said of Pryor: "Bill Pryor is an incredibly talented, intellectually honest attorney general. He calls them like he sees them. He's got a lot of courage, and he will stand up and fight when he believes he's right."

2003-present: Circuit Judge, 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

1997-2003: Attorney General, State of Alabama

1995-1997: Deputy Attorney General, State of Alabama

1991-1995: Associate, Walston, Stabler, Wells, Anderson & Bains

1988-1991: Associate, Cabanis, Jonston, Gardner, Dumas & O'Neal

1987-1988: Law Clerk, Hon. John Minor Wisdom, 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

* * * * *

Henry Saad

Nominated to 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

Born: July 15, 1948, in Detroit

Current Occupation: Michigan Court of Appeals Judge

Education: B.A., Wayne State University; Juris Doctor, Wayne State School of Law.

Marital Status: Married

Where he stands:

Authored two articles defending the rights of employees afflicted with AIDS to be free from discrimination in the workplace.

Doe v. University of Michigan: Judge Saad worked with the University of Michigan to craft a narrowly tailored policy to prohibit hate speech in campus classrooms.

Qualifications:

Board member of the Greater Detroit Inter-Faith Roundtable of the National Conference of Christians and Jews.

Member of the Board of Visitors for the Ave Maria Law School, which focuses on incorporating Catholic values into the study of law.

He received the Arab-American and Chaldean Council Civic and Humanitarian Award for Outstanding Dedication to Serving the Community with Compassion and Understanding in 1995.

1994-present: Judge, Michigan Court of Appeals

1977-present: Adjunct Professor, Wayne State University Law School

1976-present: Adjunct Professor, University of Detroit Mercy School of Law

1974-1981: Associate and Partner, Dickinson, Wright, Moon, Vandusen & Freeman

* * * * *

William Myers

Nominated to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

Born: July 13, 1955, in Roanoke, Va.

Current Occupation: Solicitor, U.S. Department of Interior

Education: B.A., College of William and Mary; Juris Doctor, University of

Denver College of Law.

Marital Status: Married

Where he stands:

Disagreed with the judges' rulings in Griswold v. Connecticut and Roe v. Wade, saying that these decisions were made because of the "personal moral values of the justices."

Praised the Bowers v. Hardwick decision to enforce anti-sodomy laws.

In a Supreme Court brief, Myers backed the constitutional right to protect one's property, quoting that "the Constitutional right of a rancher to put his property to beneficial use is as fundamental as his right to freedom of speech or freedom from unreasonable search and seizure" when liberal activists desired to take this right away.

Myers has worked as a volunteer at seven different National Parks, logging about 180 days of volunteer service over the past several years.

Myers worked with the Department of Justice to obtain a $49 million settlement from Shell Oil based on illegal gas-flaring activities in the Gulf of Mexico.

Qualifications:

Myers was confirmed to his position as Solicitor of the Interior by unanimous consent of the U.S. Senate.

2001-present: Solicitor, U.S. Department of the Interior

1997-2001: Counsel, Holland & Hart, LLP

1993-1997: Executive Director, Public Lands Council; Director, Federal Lands National Cattlemen's Beef Association

1992-1993: Deputy General Counsel for Programs, U.S. Department of Energy

1989-1992: Assistant to the Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice

1985-1989: Legislative Counsel, U.S. Sen. Alan K. Simpson

1981-1984: Associate, Davis & Cannon

* * * * *

Richard Griffin

Nominated to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

Born: April 15, 1952

Current Occupation: Judge, Michigan Court of Appeals

Education: B.A., Western Michigan University, Honors College; Juris Doctor, University of Michigan Law School.

Marital Status: Married

Where he stands:

In Doe v. Michigan Department of Corrections, Griffin protected HIV-positive prisoners by ruling that they should have the same rights as other prisoners.

In 1994, Griffin fought for the imprisonment of habitual criminal offenders and advocated for two-parent homes, citing studies that show children from single-parent families have a higher risk of becoming criminals.

Griffin ruled that unionized employees on strike were not eligible for unemployment benefits as long as their positions were still available throughout the strike.

Griffin ruled that a statute requiring juvenile sex offenders to register with the police for 25 years after the offense occurs did not violate the state constitution's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.

Qualifications:

1988-present: Judge, Michigan Court of Appeals

1985-1988: Partner, Read & Griffin

1977-1985 - Associate and Partner, Williams, Coulter, Cunningham, Davidson & Read

* * * * *

Susan Neilson

Nominated to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

Born: Ann Arbor, Mich.

Current Occupation: Judge, 3rd Judicial Circuit Court of Michigan

Education: B.A., University of Michigan Honors College; Juris Doctor, Wayne State University Law School

Marital Status: Married

Qualifications:

American Bar Associate unanimously rated Neilson "well-qualified"—the top rating it gives.

Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Maura Corrigan said of Neilson:

"Judge Susan Bieke Neilson has earned the reputation of being one of the most dedicated and knowledgeable trial court jurists in the State of Michigan. I believe her experience as a trial court judge coupled with her legal writing abilities will make her an outstanding addition to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit."

1991-present: Judge, 3rd Judicial Circuit Court of Michigan

1980-1991: Associate and Partner, Dickinson Wright PLLC

* * * * *

William Haynes

Nominated to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

Born: March 30, 1958, in Waco, Texas

Current Occupation: General Counsel, Department of Defense

Education: B.A., Davidson College; Juris Doctor, Harvard Law School

Where he stands:

As Department of Defense Counsel, Haynes supported the government in its authority to detain enemy combatants for purposes of intelligence-gathering and national security.

Haynes helped negotiate between Great Britain, Australia and the United States over the indefinite detention and possible trials by military tribunal of several of their nationals.

Haynes condemned the abuse of the Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers, stating that "all interrogations, wherever they may occur, must be conducted without the use of cruel and inhuman tactics."

Qualifications:

A majority of the American Bar Association Judicial Rating Committee rated Haynes "well-qualified."

2001-present: General Counsel, Department of Defense

1999-2001: Partner, Jenner & Block

1999: Volunteer Consultant, Mercy Corps International

1996-1999: Staff Vice President and General Counsel, General Dynamic Corp.

1993-1996: Partner, Jenner & Block

1990-1993: General Counsel, Department of the Army

1989-1990: Special Assistant to the General Counsel, Department of Defense

4/98 - 11/98: Associate, Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan

1/98-4/98: Counsel to the Transition, Department of Defense

1983-1984: Law Clerk, Hon. James B. McMillan, U.S. District Court for the

Western District of North Carolina

* * * * *

Brett Kavanaugh

Nominated to the District of Columbia Circuit Court

Born: Feb. 12, 1965

Current Occupation: Presidential Staff Secretary

Education: B.A.,Yale College, cum laude; Juris Doctor,Yale Law School

Qualifications:

A majority of the American Bar Association rated Kavanaugh "Well-Qualified".

2003-present: Staff Secretary to President Bush

2003: Senior Associate Counsel to President Bush

2001-2003: Associate Counsel to President Bush

1997-2001: Partner, Kirkland & Ellis

1994-1997: Associate Counsel, Office of Independent Counsel Kenneth W. Starr

1993-1994: Law Clerk, Hon. Anthony M. Kennedy, Supreme Court of the United States

1992-1993: Attorney, Office of the Solicitor General, U.S. Department of Justice

1991-1992: Law Clerk, the Hon. Alex Kozinski, 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals 1990-1991: Law Clerk, Hon. Walter K. Stapleton, 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

* * * * *

David McKeague

Nominated to U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals

Born: Nov. 5, 1946, in Pittsburgh

Current Occupation: Judge, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan

Education: B.A., University of Michigan; Juris Doctor, University of Michigan Law School.

Marital Status: Married

Where he stands:

Ruled in favor of Vanguard Charter Academy when a parent brought a suit against the school claiming that there was no separation of church and state.

Granted Michigan state authorities permission to release the names of sex offenders in order to curb repeat offenses.

Qualifications:

American Bar Association unanimously rated McKeague "Well Qualified".

1992-present: U.S. District Court Judge, Western District of Michigan

1971-1992: Associate and Director, Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith PC

http://www.family.org/cforum/feature/a0036273.cfm

Item 3: Rating Judicial Nominees

You will recall back when the Democrats were in charge of the executive and legislative branches of government, they had the American Bar Association involved in the selection of judicial nominees. Many of us had insisted that the ABA should have no special role in picking judges, and indeed, President Bush 43 removed the ABA from this position, something that his father and Ronald Reagan had declined to do.

Well, when that happened, the Democrats howled to high heaven and insisted that the ABA ratings were the "gold standard" of judging judicial nominees.

Larson Frisby of the ABA was kind enough to provide me with the ABA ratings for the 108th Congress. The ABA has two categories for such nominees, Qualified and Well Qualified. Remember all of the circuit court nominees that liberals claim are extremist? Miguel Estrada, Carolyn Kuhl, Patricia Owen, Charles Pickering, William Pryor, Claude Allen and Janice Rogers Brown come to mind. Every one of these has been judged "well qualified" either unanimously or by a substantial majority of the ABA. Not a single nominee was graded simply "qualified."

So, what do we hear from the liberals about the ABA now? Would that organization, no bastion of conservatism, really rate all of these controversial judges as "well qualified" if they were extremist ideologues? I rather doubt it. The next time you encounter a liberal senator you might ask him or her about the ABA. If they denounce the ABA as being part of the right-wing conspiracy, why, we'll just have to revise our charts.

Marion Harrison, president of Free Congress Foundation, used to be involved with the ABA. Perhaps he now secretly controls that organization.

Or perhaps the liberals are just liars.

Paul M. Weyrich is Chairman and CEO of the Free Congress Foundation.

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2...29/220526.shtml

[AURaptor 1,126]

Janice Rogers Brown

Nominated to the Washington D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals

Born: May 11, 1949, in Laverne, Ala.

Current Occupation: Associate Justice, California Supreme Court

Education: B.A. Economics from California State University, Sacramento;

Juris Doctor from the University of California, Los Angeles

Marital Status: Married

Where she stands:

Brown has said, "I really don't think that the conservative view that I have, which is a classical conservatism, is ideological at all. But I can certainly say that I'm not ideological as a judge."

Hi-Voltage Wire Works v. City of San Jose: Brown ruled, with the entire California Supreme Court as well, that California's proposition 209, allowing special preference in choosing city contractors based on gender and ethnicity, was unconstitutional. Brown is being lambasted for the ruling though it was a unanimous decision on the part of the Court.

American Academy of Pediatrics vs. Lungren: Brown disagreed that a statute requiring minors to notify parents before having abortions was illegal. Two other justices also dissented, including Justice Stanley Mosk, well-known for his pro-abortion ideology.

Qualifications:

Brown is the first African-American woman to serve as an associate justice on the California Supreme Court and was re-elected with 76 percent of the vote, the highest vote percentage of all justices on the ballot.

1996-Present: Associate Justice California Supreme Court

1998-1999: Adjunct Professor University of the Pacific MacGeorge School of Law

1994-1996: Associate Justice, California Court of Appeals for the 3rd District

1991-1994: Legal Affairs Secretary, Gov. Pete Wilson

1990-1991: Senior Associate, Nielsen, Merksamer, Parinello, Mueller & Naylor

1987-1990: Deputy Secretary and General Counsel, State of California Business, Transportation & Housing Agency

1979-1987: Deputy Attorney General, California Department of Justice

Clearly, America can't stand for this sort of radicalism from the Right. Where things different and it was the GOP oposing this judge, the cries and protest of racism by the usual suspects and even on the network news would be deafening.

[AURaptor 1,126]

This is why I think the GOP should let the Dems try to filibuster. Once the judges are brought into the spotlight of public attention, and America sees how ridiculous the claims by the Dems are, it'll be a winfall for the GOP not only in the confirmation process, but in the 2006 elections as well.