Lambda Legal Says Nomination of Judge John G. Roberts Raises "Serious Concern" and Vows Thorough Investigation

(New York, July 20, 2005) — Lambda Legal Executive Director Kevin Cathcart made the following statement concerning the nomination of Judge John G. Roberts.

“In nominating Judge John G. Roberts to replace Justice O’Connor on the Supreme Court President Bush has just about guaranteed that divisiveness will continue to reign in the judicial nomination process. Some have suggested that Judge Roberts is well-liked, but with all due respect, we need to know if he will stand up for the rights of all Americans not whether some people think he’s a nice guy.”

While we are continuing our review of Judge Roberts, we already know that we have reasons for serious concern. There are a number of issues that are important in determining whether a nominee will respect the rights of all Americans. Judge Roberts’ track record on reproductive freedom, privacy and federalism (respect for Congress’ power to enact important statutes like civil rights laws) merits particular scrutiny.

We’ll be using our more than 30 years of litigation experience to study Judge Roberts’ record and decide whether we believe he will, if confirmed, carry out his responsibilities in a fair-minded and thoughtful manner that respects the basic individual rights of all Americans. For us, the fundamental question is whether this nominee’s commitment is to protecting those rights, or advancing a hardened extremist agenda.

In the weeks ahead the U.S. Senate has the responsibility of closely scrutinizing this nomination and asking tough questions of this nominee. The burden is on Judge Roberts to demonstrate that he is qualified to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Lambda Legal looks forward to playing an important role in that process.”

To learn more about the connection between reproductive choice and civil rights for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community visit www.lambdalegal.org/courtingjustice and click on Reproductive Rights Connection.

This spring Lambda Legal launched a wide-ranging national campaign, “Courting Justice: Stand Up for Fair Courts – Protect Our Rights”. The campaign aims to mobilize lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people, people with HIV and allies to advocate for unbiased judicial nominees, defend fair-minded judges from political attacks and support the legitimate role of courts in addressing civil rights claims.

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Lisa Hardaway 212-809-8585 ext.266; Cell: 402-369-2104

Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work.