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Senator Leahy:
It is with a heavy heart that I write to you this evening, expressing my extreme displeasure over your decision to support the nomination of John G. Roberts as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
You said today: "I can only take him at his word that he does not have an ideological agenda."
Senator, with respect, everything that we know about John Roberts suggests that he does indeed have an ideological agenda. And that he is the wrong person to lead the Court.
I am especially troubled by his record on civil rights. He once advised the Reagan administration to remove language from a housing bill, that referred to a "fundamental right to be free from discrimination." Citing his opposition to the language, he said "there of course is no such right."
If John Roberts believes that there is no fundamental right to be free from discrimination, does he then believe that I, as an African-American, can be discriminated against in the workplace?
Moreover, in responding to the Fifty States Project, he dismissed what he referred to as the "perceived problems of gender discrimination." He also pontificated on whether "encouraging homemakers to become lawyers contributes to the common good." When he was asked about this statement during his confirmation hearings, his only response was that it was a joke against lawyers, not about women in the workplace. He said "It was a small office. They expected return projects around very quickly. We were expected to be candid. And if making a joke about lawyers would make for a more enjoyable day on the part of the people in the office, that's what we did." Maybe he should forgive me for thinking those were the comments of a man who felt women don't deserve to work outside the home.
I am extremely troubled by his views on affirmative action. He has argued that affirmative action forces companies to hire unqualified employees, simply for diversity's sake. These views clearly demonstrate he doesn't understand that affirmative action is not a quota system. It is a corrective program meant to diversify our nation's schools and offices, simply by giving preference to minorities who are just as qualified as their Caucasian counterparts.
It is also troubling that as John Roberts was interviewing with the White House for the Supreme Court vacancy, he was helping decide a lawsuit that had been brought against the Bush administration. He voted in favor of the Administration, clearly leaving the impression of a quid pro quo.
Senator Leahy, it is not very hard to do the right thing. And the right thing to do now is to oppose the nomination of John Roberts.
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