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Lambda Legal Statement on Harriet Miers's Withdrawing Her Nomination to the U.S Supreme Court
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"What made her especially vulnerable was the combination of her lack of judicial experience and her extraordinarily close connection to President Bush."
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(New York, October 27, 2005) — Lambda Legal Education and Public Affairs Director Michael Adams made the following statement concerning the withdrawn nomination of Harriet Miers to replace Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
“Harriet Miers faced right-wing criticism on social issues. But what made her especially vulnerable was not principally that, but was the combination of her lack of judicial experience and her extraordinarily close connection to President Bush, which led to the repeated suggestions that she was nominated based on “cronyism” rather than her qualifications. Would she have been an independent and effective jurist? We’ll never know.
“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. We are confident that a nominee who is committed to those values will be confirmed if otherwise qualified.
“We look forward to a serious vetting of the next nominee. Whoever the nominee is, we will continue to develop tough questions and seek answers to the core issues of equality and fairness for LGBT people and those affected by HIV.” 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 the courts in addressing civil rights claims.
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Lisa Hardaway 212-809-8585 ext.266
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