State of the Judiciary

Last night, in his State of the Union address, President Bush called on the Senate to promptly confirm his federal judicial nominees, whom he characterized as ruling "by the letter of the law" and "worthy of confirmation." A closer look at these nominees reveals that they not only fail to meet those two standards but would seek to carry out the administration's ideological-driven agenda from the bench. For example, here's a look at three of the nominees Bush would like the Senate to confirm this year:

• Robert Conrad, Fourth Circuit: Conrad has never ruled for a plaintiff in an employment discrimination case. He referred to the writings of Sister Helen Prejean, the Catholic nun who authored "Dead Man Walking," as “liberal drivel” and to Sister Helen herself as a “Church-hating nun.”


• Steve Matthews, Fourth Circuit: Matthews served on the board of the Landmark Legal Foundation at the time that it nominated Rush Limbaugh for the Nobel Peace Prize.


• Richard Honaker, District of Wyoming: Honaker’s public statements demonstrate that he believes that the law should reflect the doctrines of the Bible and Christianity.

Though it was only one paragraph in his address to the nation, stacking the federal bench with men and women who will carry out his administration’s ideological agenda and affect the state of our union for decades to come will be President Bush's most lasting domestic legacy. Few policies epitomize the take-no-prisoners agenda of this administration more than its judicial selection program. For a more complete picture of Bush's impact on the courts, read Alliance for Justice's "State of the Judiciary."