Citing Extremist Views, Variety of Groups Oppose Judicial Nominee Janice Rogers Brown
Feature Story by Civilrights.org staff - 10/21/2003
Although facing opposition from a broad coalition of groups, including civil rights, women's rights, workers' rights, seniors, disability rights, religious, and environmental, President Bush has added yet another controversial judicial nominee to the federal courts – Janice Rogers Brown.Brown has been serving as a justice on the California Supreme Court since May 1996, and was nominated by Pres. Bush to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
In a resolution approved this month, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., expressed several reasons for their opposition to Brown, particularly with respect to her opinions on civil rights.
"Justice Brown's opinions on civil rights and discrimination cases are perhaps the most troubling part of her record, revealing a blatant disregard for judicial precedent and a desire to limit the ability of victims of discrimination to sue for redress," the resolution states.
In a letter sent to senators earlier this month, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) also expressed its opposition to Brown. In the letter, LCCR said that Brown often has been the lone justice on the California Supreme Court to dissent, illustrating that her judicial philosophy is outside the mainstream.
"Not only does she show an inability to dispassionately review cases," the letter said, "but her opinions are based on her extremist ideology and also ignore judicial precedent, even that set by the United States Supreme Court."
At a news conference on Oct. 17, U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, D-Md., chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and members of the CBC released a letter, which strongly opposed the nomination of Brown, to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin G. Hatch, R-Utah, and Ranking Member Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.
"Ms. Brown has not been able or willing to divorce her personal views from the law that she has sworn to uphold," Rep. Cummings said. "The President's approach to selecting nominees has been exclusive to shutting out voices of reason. There are hundreds of well-qualified attorneys and legal scholars who would make excellent judges on our federal bench."
According to LCCR, Brown is unfit to serve on the D.C. Circuit, which, next to the U.S. Supreme Court, is regarded as the most important court in America.
