PFAW’s Kolbert: We need a conversation about the Court and the Constitution, not more sleaze from the smearmongers of the Right
The Judicial Confirmation Network, a group of right-wing activists that mobilized support for the Bush administration’s efforts to impose its political agenda on the federal judiciary, has launched a mud-slinging ad campaign that is ostensibly about the Supreme Court but does nothing to address the issues at stake for all Americans in the future of the judiciary.
People For the American Way President Kathryn Kolbert, who successfully argued the landmark Planned Parenthood v. Casey before the U.S. Supreme Court, released the following statement.
“The Supreme Court is on the ballot this fall, and the stakes could not be higher for Americans. Judges nominated by President Bush are already undermining Americans’ rights and legal protections and making it harder for individuals to seek justice in the Courts. Senator McCain has bragged about supporting those Bush judges and curried favor with the far right by pledging more of the same.
The Judicial Confirmation Network’s sleazy mud-throwing ad sheds no light on the issues at stake with the future of the federal judiciary. It’s just a cynical hatchet job. “
People For the American Way’s Action Fund has recently launched a series of radio ads in key states focusing on the Supreme Court decision that overturned a lower court victory for Lilly Ledbetter, a woman who successfully challenged pay discrimination by her employer, and made it nearly impossible for women to get justice in federal court for pay discrimination.
Note: People For the American Way’s affiliated Foundation has produced a series of reports on the damage caused by Bush-nominated judges to Americans’ constitutional rights and legal protections. The most recent report is The Human Toll: How Individual Americans Have Fared at the Hands of Bush Judges. People For the American Way Foundation’s preview of the coming Supreme Court term, More Rights at Stake, is available here.
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