Estrada Withdraws as Judicial Nominee
Feature Story by civilrights.org staff - 9/5/2003
President Bush on Thursday accepted Miguel Estrada’s withdrawal from consideration for the U.S. Court of Appeals D.C. Circuit.In his letter to President Bush, Estrada did not specifically state his reasons for withdrawing. But Sen. Patrick Leahy, ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, referred in a statement to an "impasse" prompted by "stonewalling" by the administration "combined with Mr. Estrada's reluctance to substantively answer senators' questions."
"In the absence of…cooperation from the White House, and with the persistence of the White House's stonewalling, Mr. Estrada has concluded that this impasse will continue," Sen. Leahy said in a statement.
Opposed by many organizations, including the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), Estrada had been called “a far right stealth nominee” by LCCR Executive Director Wade Henderson, mainly due to his refusal to state his positions on crucial issues during the Senate Judiciary Committee’s confirmation hearing process.
“The withdrawal of Miguel Estrada’s nomination is good news for Americans who want a balanced and fair judicial system and who believe that nominees to lifetime appointments should answer reasonable questions by senators,” Henderson said.
President Bush had pushed for Estrada’s confirmation for two years, often lauding Estrada’s Latino background but downplaying his stance on issues.
“We believe President Bush’s next nominee to the D.C. Circuit should add greater balance to that court and contribute to its diversity,” said Antonia Hernandez, vice-chairperson of the LCCR Executive Committee and president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF). “But diversity at the expense of the Latino community’s substantive concerns will not be acceptable.”
Ralph Neas, president of People For the American Way, encouraged President Bush to have bipartisan consultation before nominating judges in the future.
“Because of the strong opposition to Miguel Estrada’s confirmation, we are not surprised that Estrada has reportedly decided to withdraw his name from consideration,” Neas said in a statement. “The administration continues to pursue a strategy of confrontation and resist any meaningful bipartisan dialogue on judges.”
Echoing Neas’ sentiments, Alliance for Justice President Nan Aron agreed that having consensus for nominees is at the core of a fair and balanced judiciary.
“The withdrawal of Miguel Estrada's nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit should provide a tough lesson to the White House about the need for consensus, consultation, and public involvement in the judicial selection process,” Aron said in a statement. “Rather than continuing to insist on the appointment of highly divisive nominees such as these, the president, in the best interests of the country, should work with senators from both parties to find consensus nominees of the highest caliber.”
