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President Bush selected Judge Charles W. Pickering to fill an opening on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The confirmation process is now underway in the Senate.
Dulles NOW was recently contacted by groups tied to the Democratic party and asked to join the current nasty efforts to derail his nomination. We refused. Instead, we are pleased to join the ranks of all those who support him.
Judge Pickering has had a distinguished legal career the American Bar Association has deemed "well qualified" . His record on civil rights is long and commendable. He testified in Mississippi against the Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan in 1967. He currently sits on the board of directors of the Institute for Racial Reconciliation at the University of Mississippi. He is known to be a fair and impartial jurist recognized for his efforts to resolve conflicts without prejudice or discrimination because of race, sex or otherwise. His reputation as a man of integrity and honesty is well established.
The vicious anti-Pickering smears have even less to do with women's rights, coming as they are from groups who unwaveringly supported sexual harassment and perjury in high office. They are but grotesque reminders of the discredited politics of personal destruction.
After eight years of fanciful Democratic appointments, our judicial system is in dire need of men and women who will follow the law, not circumvent it because of political bias. In that context, the personal views Judge Pickering may hold on abortion must be irrelevant in the decision to confirm his appointment. We urge the Senate to do so promptly.
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