Publish to Newswire
Add an EventFrom the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature
John Roberts and the Right’s Move to Take Control of the Judiciary
There is growing focus on an organization that Supreme Court justice nominee John Roberts claims he cannot remember if he joined or not: the Federalist Society. We speak with Alfred Ross of the Institute for Democracy Studies who uncovered John Roberts' membership in the right-wing organization.
Ever since President Bush announced in prime time that his nominee to the Supreme Court would be John Roberts, momentum has been building for a showdown at Robert's confirmation hearings scheduled for September. At this point it seems unlikely that Roberts is in any great risk of not being confirmed, but Democrats have made clear that they intend to ask him to publicly state his views on some of the most politically divisive issues on Capitol Hill--most prominent among them, a woman's right to choose.
The White House has painted Roberts as a candidate made for the Supreme Court and his resume has gained praise from both sides of the aisle. But John Roberts has left a rather short paper trail. What we do know is drawn largely from his career as a lawyer, where he has defended Operation Rescue, has made the argument that Roe v. Wade has no constitutional basis. We know that he advised Florida Gov. Jeb Bush during the 2000 election showdown and that as a Bush appointed judge, he sat on a 3 judge panel that a week and a half ago handed the Bush administration a key propaganda victory by allowing military trials to go ahead at Guantanamo instead of giving prisoners access to the rights guaranteed under the US constitution. We also know that he is described as a solid conservative who worked for President Bush's father and Ronald Reagan. We also know that the Bush administration lobbied conservative groups to support Roberts for a year leading up to his nomination.
As the TV ad war continues, the Roberts story has taken a new twist. There is growing focus today on an organization that Roberts claims he cannot remember if he joined or not: the Federalist Society. Roberts and the White House say the nominee has no recollection about his possible membership. But yesterday, the Washington Post reported that it had obtained a 1997-98 Federalist Society leadership directory listing Roberts, then a partner in a private law firm, as being a steering committee member in the group's Washington chapter.
On Monday, Roberts declined to say why he was listed in the directory when asked by a reporter about the discrepancy during a morning get-acquainted meeting with Sen. Dianne Feinstein. White House spokesperson Scott McClellan was asked about Roberts and the Federalist Society at the daily press briefing.
* White House press briefing, July 25, 2005.
We are joined in our Washington DC studio by the man who uncovered John Roberts membership in the Federalist Society. Alfred Ross is the founder and president of the Institute for Democracy Studies.
* Alfred Ross, founder and president of the Institute for Democracy Studies.
LISTEN ONLINE
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/07/26/1419244
The White House has painted Roberts as a candidate made for the Supreme Court and his resume has gained praise from both sides of the aisle. But John Roberts has left a rather short paper trail. What we do know is drawn largely from his career as a lawyer, where he has defended Operation Rescue, has made the argument that Roe v. Wade has no constitutional basis. We know that he advised Florida Gov. Jeb Bush during the 2000 election showdown and that as a Bush appointed judge, he sat on a 3 judge panel that a week and a half ago handed the Bush administration a key propaganda victory by allowing military trials to go ahead at Guantanamo instead of giving prisoners access to the rights guaranteed under the US constitution. We also know that he is described as a solid conservative who worked for President Bush's father and Ronald Reagan. We also know that the Bush administration lobbied conservative groups to support Roberts for a year leading up to his nomination.
As the TV ad war continues, the Roberts story has taken a new twist. There is growing focus today on an organization that Roberts claims he cannot remember if he joined or not: the Federalist Society. Roberts and the White House say the nominee has no recollection about his possible membership. But yesterday, the Washington Post reported that it had obtained a 1997-98 Federalist Society leadership directory listing Roberts, then a partner in a private law firm, as being a steering committee member in the group's Washington chapter.
On Monday, Roberts declined to say why he was listed in the directory when asked by a reporter about the discrepancy during a morning get-acquainted meeting with Sen. Dianne Feinstein. White House spokesperson Scott McClellan was asked about Roberts and the Federalist Society at the daily press briefing.
* White House press briefing, July 25, 2005.
We are joined in our Washington DC studio by the man who uncovered John Roberts membership in the Federalist Society. Alfred Ross is the founder and president of the Institute for Democracy Studies.
* Alfred Ross, founder and president of the Institute for Democracy Studies.
LISTEN ONLINE
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/07/26/1419244
Add Your Comments
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!
Donate
$110.00 donated
in the past month
Get Involved
If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.
Publish
Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.
Topics
More
Search Indybay's Archives
Advanced Search
►
▼
IMC Network