Opposition to Roberts Nomination Grows
Feature Story by civilrights.org staff - 9/1/2005
Senate hearings on John Roberts' nomination will begin next Tuesday, September 6, in the face of mounting opposition by groups troubled by the controversial candidate's civil rights record.Buttressed by extensive reports analyzing the candidate's record and the thousands of documents released by the Bush administration, several national civil rights groups, including the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF), the National Partnership for Women & Families, and the National Women's Law Center (NWLC), announced their opposition to Roberts in a joint press conference Wednesday.
"We have come together today, from different communities and with different perspectives, to urge the Senate to say 'no' to a nominee with no demonstrated commitment to eradicating discrimination, 'no' to a man who rejects measures that would advance equality, no to a jurist who would turn back the clock on women's and civil rights, " said Debra L. Ness, President of the National Partnership for Women & Families.
Ness said the findings of the National Partnership's new report, John Roberts' Record on Issues Important to Women & Families, were "sobering. "
"John Roberts played a significant role in shaping Reagan administration efforts to reinterpret longstanding civil rights laws and policies, and retreat from initiatives that were key to achieving equality for women and people of color," Ness said in a statement.
LDF released a report detailing what it called Roberts' "consistent and active advocacy" for weakening federal enforcement of voting rights, affirmative action, school desegregation, fair housing, and other civil rights protections.
While LDF's analysis was based on the publicly released documents from Roberts' early career, the group found that "his views in opposition to civil rights laws were strongly held over a long period," and "no evidence that he has changed his views."
Citing the findings of NWLC's new report, The Record of John Roberts on Critical Legal Rights for Women, Marcia D. Greenberger, NWLC Co-President, said in a statement, "On too many occasions and in too many ways, John Roberts has closed his eyes to the devastating consequences to women of his legal arguments, and he has simply disregarded contrary judicial precedents. Had his views prevailed, core protections for women would be undermined."
In its report, NWLC outlines how John Roberts "aggressively" sought to restrict established legal protections in three areas of the law central to women's rights: constitutional and statutory protections against sex discrimination; the constitutional right to privacy, including the right to choose; and Congress's power to pass laws and protect the public welfare along with citizens' access to federal courts to enforce their rights.
Alliance for Justice's announcement of its opposition to Roberts' nomination earlier in the week was accompanied by the release of a 105-page report of Roberts' views on the law as expressed in his government memos, legal briefs, legal opinions and public statements.
"Throughout his career, Judge Roberts has advocated diminishing the role the courts play in enforcing individual rights and freedoms," Alliance for Justice President Nan Aron said.
"Our review of John Roberts' record and the tens of thousands of pages of documents released by the administration show that confirming John Roberts would endanger much of the progress made by the nation in civil rights over the past half-century," said Ralph Neas, President of People For the American Way (PFAW). "If John Roberts replaces Sandra Day O'Connor the balance of the court will shift to the right for decades to come, imperiling Americans' constitutional rights and liberties."
PFAW released a report on August 24 outlining concerns about the Roberts nomination in a number of critical areas, including voting rights; equal opportunity for women, minorities, older Americans and persons with disabilities; access to justice; privacy; reproductive choice; executive and congressional power; and separation of church and state.
Concluding that Roberts' lifetime appointment to the nation's highest court would not be in the best interest of the GLBT community, the Human Rights Campaign, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays released a joint statement on August 25 to announce their opposition to Roberts' nomination.
