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Send a Letter to the Editor on Judge John Roberts
Use our letter-writing "wizard" to make a compelling case for "unquestionably qualified" Supreme Court nominee receiving a fair Senate hearing.
President Bush has nominated federal appeals court Judge John Roberts to the U.S. Supreme Court — a choice hailed by Focus on the Family Action Chairman Dr. James Dobson.
"Judge Roberts is an unquestionably qualified attorney and judge with impressive experience in the government and the private sector," Dobson said. "He has demonstrated at every stop on his career path the legal acumen, judicial temperament and personal integrity necessary to be a Supreme Court justice."
But liberal pressure groups are already mobilizing to upend Roberts' nomination, hoping to convince Americans he is not suitable to serve. You can play a key role in thwarting their plans — by sending a letter to the editor of your local newspaper stressing Roberts' solid qualifications and character.
We've made it easy for you to put one together by gathering a series of points you can use to make a compelling argument in favor of Judge Roberts receiving a fair Senate confirmation hearing and an up-or-down vote on his nomination. And please keep this in mind: It is not unethical or "plagiarism" for you to assemble and submit a letter using this tool. We offer this information to help you put into words your thoughts on this important subject; editors serve the same function at newspapers, helping reporters organize and relate their thoughts in the most effective manner possible.
Here's how it works:
1) Look over the four sections below. From each section, select one paragraph and copy it into a text document — and feel free to modify the sections in your own words. No matter which paragraphs you choose, the result will be a finished letter of no more than 200 words.
2) Print and sign your letter, making sure you include your name, full address and phone number. You can then mail it to your local newspaper. For contact information for your local newspaper, visit the Media section of CitizenLink Action Center and type your ZIP code into the "Local Media" box.
3) You also can e-mail your letter through the CitizenLink Action Center, via the e-mail link you will find on the contact information page for your local newspaper. If you do this, however, you must make sure you add your full address and phone number to the bottom of the letter — through the "Message" box itself, not just in the "Your Information" fields. (Don't worry. If this doesn't make sense to you at the moment, it will once you visit the Web site.)
Here, then, are the sections from which you can assemble your letter.
Opening paragraph
Judge John Roberts, President Bush's pick to replace Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court, brings with him one of the most impressive resumes any nominee to the high court has had in a generation.
President Bush has tapped a qualified man of solid character to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court: Judge John Roberts has the intellect and experience required to fill such an important position in our government.
Judge John Roberts has everything necessary to become a Supreme Court justice — a keen mind, years of relevant experience and the near-universal respect of those in the legal community.
What does it take to be qualified to serve on the highest court in the land? Just take a look at the resume of Judge John Roberts, President Bush's selection to replace the retiring Sandra Day O'Connor.
If politics were a court of law, President Bush would have an airtight winning case with his nomination of the impeccably qualified Judge John Roberts to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Second paragraph
Judge Roberts has succeeded in both the public and private sectors — from his time as a law clerk to Chief Justice William Rehnquist, to a brilliant career as a private-practice attorney, to his current position as a judge on the D.C. Circuit appeals court. Most impressively, as deputy U.S. solicitor general, he argued 39 cases before the Supreme Court.
During his career as one of the nation's top appellate lawyers, Roberts appeared more than three dozen times before the Supreme Court. That experience helped him win approval to the federal appeals court for the Washington, D.C., circuit — often called the second highest court in the land — earning the endorsement of the vast majority of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
When he was nominated to his current post on the U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Columbia, more than 150 members of the D.C. bar weighed in with their support, calling him a "brilliant writer" of "unquestioned integrity" and "fair-mindedness." He earned those accolades, in part, as a lawyer who argued more cases before the high court than all but a few of the 180,000 members of the Supreme Court bar.
A summa cum laude graduate of Harvard — earning his degree in just three years — Roberts enjoyed a distinguished career as a private-practice attorney and government lawyer before being confirmed to a federal appeals court seat in 2003. He has intimate knowledge of the workings of the Supreme Court, too, having appeared before its justices nearly 40 times.
Roberts has been a law clerk to current Chief Justice William Rehnquist, a counsel to President Reagan and a private attorney with a reputation as one of the most astute legal minds in the country. As a federal appeals court judge for the past two years, he has written 40 opinions — and only two of them have drawn any dissent from his colleagues.
Third paragraph
Even traditionally liberal newspapers like the Washington Post have applauded his nomination. Yet that's not likely to sway President Bush's political opponents who are doing their best to distort Roberts' track record with vaguely threatening language about how the judge is "out of the mainstream" in his judicial philosophy.
The Los Angeles Times, not exactly a bastion of conservative thought, has praised Roberts' "sterling record." Keep that in mind as you see and hear the attack ads charging him with being a member of the "radical right." He is not. He is a mainstream judge who believes the Constitution should be interpreted as written.
But not everyone equates this kind of professional excellence and personal integrity with suitability for the federal bench. Liberals have already begun their war of inflammatory words, accusing Roberts of being too radical to serve. That's just code for their disappointment that his judicial philosophy leads him to interpret the Constitution, not use it as a springboard to create law.
Despite this impeccable track record, though, Roberts can expect to face stiff opposition from Senate liberals like Ted Kennedy and Chuck Schumer and anti-Bush pressure groups like MoveOn.org. They've already begun assailing his nomination, desperate to keep off the bench anyone who believes a judge's job is to interpret law, not make it.
Still, Judge Roberts isn't likely to sail through the confirmation process. He already is being bashed by those on the political left as out of touch with mainstream America, a baseless charge designed to direct attention away from the real issue: Liberals want a judge who will legislate from the bench rather than strictly interpret the Constitution.
Concluding paragraph
Any purely partisan bid to block Judge Roberts must not be allowed to succeed. He deserves a fair hearing, and a fair vote in the Senate.
Judge Roberts is too well-qualified to be denied a confirmation vote in the full Senate, as has been done to in the past to deserving appeals court nominees.
Any attempt to block Roberts' nomination on partisan grounds — through filibuster or other means — must itself be blocked.
Judge Roberts deserves better than to have his nomination derailed by these politically motivated attacks. More to the point, he is entitled to better under the Constitution.
Those who refuse to recognize Judge Roberts' fitness for the high court are the ones whose qualifications ought to be called into question.
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