George W. Bush, right after visiting the tomb of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., used a recess-appointment to name Charles W. Pickering Sr. as an federal appeals court judge.

Pickering has had ties to the Mississippi Sovereignty Commission, a neo-Nazi organization. People for the American Way recounts more of his anti-civil rights record:

As a federal judge, Charles Pickering:

* criticized the “one-person, one-vote” principle recognized by the Supreme Court.

* suggested that large deviations from equality in drawing legislative district lines, which the Supreme Court has held presumptively unconstitutional, were “relatively minor” and “de minimis.”

* criticized or sought to limit important remedies provided by the Voting Rights Act.

* repeatedly inserted into his rulings, in cases involving claims of employment discrimination, severe criticisms of civil rights plaintiffs and the use of civil rights laws to address alleged discrimination.

* demonstrated a propensity to make it harder for some people to obtain access to justice, especially less powerful litigants, such as people raising civil rights or liberties claims.

* has been reversed 15 times by the 5th Circuit for ignoring or violating “well-settled principles of law” – 11 of those 15 in cases involving constitutional, civil rights, criminal procedure, or labor issues; in contrast, another Bush nominee who was confirmed to the 5th Circuit, Edith Brown Clement, was reversed only once during a slightly shorter tenure as a district court judge.

* engaged in unethical conduct in an effort to reduce the sentence for a defendant convicted for burning a cross on the lawn of an interracial family and by soliciting letters of support for his confirmation from attorneys who practiced before him.

As a state senator, Charles Pickering:

* co-sponsored a Mississippi Senate resolution calling on Congress to repeal Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act (providing federal oversight over jurisdictions with a history of discrimination in voting) or to apply it to all states regardless of their discrimination history, widely seen as an effort to gut the Act.

* supported “open primary” legislation that was blocked by the Justice Department over concerns about discrimination against black voters.

* supported a resolution calling for a constitutional convention to propose an amendment to ban abortion.

Happy Birthday, Dr. King!