United Church of Christ Justice & Witness Ministries Action Alert
The Senate will vote this week on two nominees to the federal judiciary following the May 23rd Senate compromise agreement on the filibuster rule. The bipartisan compromise guarantees a vote on Janice Rogers Brown and William Pryor, two judges with very troubling records in the area of civil rights, worker rights, environmental protections, and reproductive choice. Your voice is urgently needed to oppose these nominees who may be appointed for lifetime positions on the federal bench.
Although Janice Rogers Brown has a compelling personal history in overcoming significant obstacles in her life, it is her record that is most relevant to the confirmation vote on her nomination. Many of the nation's top African American civil rights leaders have expressed opposition to Brown's nomination because her record as a California Supreme Court justice demonstrates a disturbing hostility toward affirmative action, civil rights, the rights of individuals with disabilities, and workers.
During her tenure Judge Brown attempted to deny the government authority to enact economic and environmental regulations and to hold corporations accountable for injuries to workers and consumers caused by their products and practices. She argued in one case that the First Amendment protects the use of racial slurs in the workplace, even when it constitutes illegal racial discrimination. She suggested in an opinion that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination, is unconstitutional.
William Pryor, a staunch states' rights advocate, has worked to limit the ability of Congress to enforce civil rights laws and has called for the repeal of a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. In a letter opposing Judge Pryor's nomination, prominent civil rights leaders wrote, "[Pryor's] disdain for the Voting Rights Act cause us to conclude he is unsuited for the federal bench." Judge Pryor has also called the U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision "the worst abomination of constitutional law in our history."
The extreme positions and activism of these nominees makes it highly unlikely that they will serve the common good in a fair and independent way, upholding the protections of the Constititution. Contact your senators and urge them to vote no on the nominations of Janice Rogers Brown and William Pryor for the federal judiciary. To send a fax or e-mail message, click here.
Related Link: SaveOurCourts.org Report on Janice Rogers Brown
Related Link: William Pryor Unfit To Judge
Related Link: Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism: Urge Senators to Oppose the Nominations of Janice Rogers Brown and William Pryor
