Griffith Confirmed; Boyle Vote Expected
Feature Story by civilrights.org staff - 6/15/2005
Thomas Griffith was confirmed Wednesday to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, marking the second time in as many weeks that a controversial nominee was appointed to what has been called the second most important court in the nation.Last week, the Senate confirmed Janice Rogers Brown to a D.C. Circuit seat, despite strong opposition by nearly 150 national organizations.
Rogers Brown had been previously rejected by the Senate, but a last minute bipartisan deal rejecting the so-called "nuclear option" last month allowed her nomination to move forward.
Opponents to Griffith's confirmation had pointed to his attempts to roll back Title IX, which bars sex discrimination by educational institutions that receive federal funding.
Opponents also called him "unfit" to serve because he had violated his profession's rules by practicing law for several years in Washington, D.C. and Utah without a license.
"Griffith's failure to comply with professional licensing rules, coupled with his antagonism toward Title IX protections, reflects a profound lack of respect for the law that does not bode well for petitioners in a court one step away from the U.S. Supreme Court. The confirmation of Thomas Griffith sends a dangerous wrong message," said Debra L. Ness, President, National Partnership for Women & Families.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote this Thursday on the nomination of Terrence Boyle for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. The Committee had previously postponed consideration of Boyle, but in light of recent confirmations, many believe that the Republican leadership is now eager to move toward a full Senate vote.
The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the nation's oldest, largest, and most diverse civil and human right coalition, has called Boyle's rulings as a district court judge "some of the most hostile civil rights rulings in recent memory, demonstrating a 'states' rights' jurisprudence that can only be described as extremist."
Opponents also note that Boyle has been repeatedly reversed by the Fourth Circuit--the court to which he has been nominated--because of "plain error" and other fundamental legal mistakes.
