Press Release - Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
Pryor's Confirmation a Slap in the Face
Belief in States' Rights Above Civil Rights Recalls Old South
For Immediate Release
Contact: Scott Westbrook Simpson, 202.466.2061, simpson@civilrights.org
June 9, 2005
Washington -Wade Henderson, Executive Director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the nation's oldest, largest, and most diverse civil and human rights coalition issued the following statement in response to the confirmation of William Pryor to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit:
"Pryor's recess appointment was a slap in the face and his party line confirmation is a punch in the stomach.
As Alabama Attorney General, Pryor worked hard to roll back the clock on federal protections. As an architect of the "states' rights" movement, he has sought to limit the power of Congress to enact legislation that protects our civil and constitutional rights.
He bragged that Alabama was the only state to challenge the constitutionality of Violence Against Women Act and has argued that the Supreme Court should cut back on the protections of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act.
These are not the hallmarks of a good judge - they are the credentials of an ideologue. Pryor uses the paddles of right wing ideology to propel his decisions against the current of America's mainstream. His confirmation is a disgrace."
