Unbalanced Judiciary Threatens Women's Rights

For immediate release:January 27, 2003

Contact:Margot Friedman or Camden Richards at 202-588-5180

Unbalanced Judiciary Threatens Women's Rights

Statement of Marcia D. Greenberger, Co-President, National Women's Law Center

Women's fundamental rights, women's fundamental liberties, women's livelihoods and their very lives, depend on a fair and balanced judiciary. Never has the balance and fairness of the federal judiciary been in graver jeopardy than today. We are flooded with one extreme conservative nominee after another - many with long records of hostility to women's basic rights and legal protections. The new Senate leadership is racing to confirm judges for lifetime appointments without a chance to review their records or give fair consideration to their qualifications and judicial philosophy. This breakneck speed is especially startling. It is, after all, the very same leadership that refused to confirm, or even hold hearings for a matter of years - if ever - for many court of appeals nominees of the Clinton Administration.

Just in the last few months, the public saw how important it is that the Senate Judiciary Committee engage in a thorough and serious process during the consideration of Priscilla Owen and Charles Pickering - two nominees whose records of hostility to women's and civil rights prompted their rejection by the Judiciary Committee after the hearings were held and their full records were reviewed. This current rush to judgment on judicial appointments that will last a lifetime puts the American public in the position of fearing a judiciary comprised of individuals who will themselves rush to undermine the laws and constitutional rights - whether the right to choose, the right to equal protection, or the right to strong anti-discrimination protections like Title VII and Title IX - that have given women the promise of equal opportunity, economic security, and basic respect for their health and their futures. We call on all Senators to take their constitutional responsibility seriously and insist on a fair and thorough confirmation process, and to reject any nominee who is not committed to the fundamental rights and liberties upon which our country is based.