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Lambda Legal Vows Thorough Analysis and Push For Answers at Confirmation Hearings for Supreme Court Nominee Harriet Miers

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"We firmly believe that a commitment to equality and fairness for all Americans, is a core qualification for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court."
October 3, 2005

(New York, October 3, 2005) — Lambda Legal Executive Director, Kevin Cathcart made the following statement concerning the nomination of Harriet Miers to replace Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.


“We firmly believe that a commitment to equality and fairness for all Americans is a core qualification for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court. Legal intellect and experience is necessary, but not enough. That’s the 64 million dollar question for us: Does Harriet Miers possess a clear commitment to equality and fairness for all Americans, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and those affected with HIV, and a judicial philosophy that will make that commitment real?


“We pledge a careful and thorough review of Harriet Miers, and we look forward to the upcoming confirmation hearings as an opportunity to get answers to our questions.


“In the weeks ahead, the U.S. Senate has the responsibility to closely scrutinize this nomination and to use the confirmation hearings to ask the tough questions of this nominee — and get answers. The burden is on Harriet Miers to demonstrate that she is qualified to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Lambda Legal looks forward to playing an important role in that process, as we did in the vetting of John Roberts.”


During the Roberts confirmation process, Lambda Legal provided the Senate Judiciary Committee with 30 substantive questions that were designed to determine whether Judge Roberts was fully qualified to serve on the Supreme Court. The substance of many of those questions was asked during the confirmation process, although few were answered in a meaningful way. As a result, Lambda Legal opposed the Roberts nomination.


Last spring Lambda Legal launched a wide-ranging national campaign called “Courting Justice: Stand Up for Fair Courts — Protect Our Rights.” The campaign mobilizes LGBT people, those affected by HIV and their allies to advocate for unbiased judicial nominees, defends fair-minded judges from political attacks and supports the legitimate role of courts in addressing civil rights claims.

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