Contact: Mike Russell at 703-683-5004 (ex. 109)
May 18, 2005
Washington - As the U.S. Senate takes up debate over the Democrats' blockage by filibuster of the some of President's top judicial nominees, the Judicial Confirmation Network urges the Senate to look at the facts on Justice Priscilla Owen and Justice Janice Rogers Brown.
Wendy E. Long, counsel to the Judicial Confirmation Network, said:
"These women are shining legal stars on the Supreme Courts of Texas and California, where 84 and 76 percent of the citizens of Texas and California, respectively, reelected them in the last elections. They are well respected by Democrats and Republicans on the bench and bar, have positive ratings from the ABA, and have dedicated their legal careers to public service.
"They are just the kind of judge that President Bush promised the American people he would nominate: impartial, fair judges who will respect their constitutional role, respect democracy, and apply the law as written by the people through their representatives in the elected branches of government."
"The President's strong showing of support for Justices Owen and Brown, coupled with statements from numerous GOP senators, sends a strong signal to liberal special interest groups that the liberals are the ones who are 'outside the mainstream,' with their stubborn demands for activist judges who will help them undermine our democracy and implement an agenda of redefining marriage, removing 'under God' from the Pledge of Allegiance, and preventing the death penalty even for murderers and terrorists.
"The President and Senator Frist are setting the proper tone for the remainder of the debate over the judicial confirmation process. They are standing up for what the overwhelming majority of Americans want: first, a full and open debate on judges; second, a fair up-or-down vote on all judicial nominees to the important federal appeals courts and the Supreme Court; third, to preserve the historic use of the filibuster in the context of legislation only not against people -- and fourth, an end to the gridlock and politicization of the judicial branch of our government. Despite what the liberal left keeps spouting, the use of a filibuster against judicial nominees is unprecedented and completely unwarranted."
The Honorable Janice Rogers Brown
* The President has nominated Justice Brown to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, frequently referred to as the second most important court in the United States, below the U.S. Supreme Court.
* Justice Brown is the first African American woman to serve as an associate justice on the California Supreme Court. She was reelected with 76 percent of the vote of the citizens of California, the highest vote of all justices on the ballot.
* Justice Brown grew up the daughter of sharecroppers in segregated, rural Alabama. Brown spent her childhood listening to her grandmother's stories about NAACP lawyer Fred Gray, who defended Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks.
* Justice Brown worked her way through California State University-Sacramento and UCLA law school. She was an untimely widow and pressed on with her legal career for a time as a single working mother, until she remarried.
* She has devoted almost all of her legal career to public service.
* The California Supreme Court's Chief Justice called on her to write the majority opinion more times in 2001 and 2002 than any other Justice on the court.
* 12 of Justice Brown's judicial colleagues, both Democrats and Republicans, write: "We who have worked with her on a daily basis know her to be extremely intelligent, keenly analytical and very hard working. We know that she is a jurist who applies the law without favor, without bias and with an even hand." (Claire Cooper, "Coalition vows to fight nomination," Sacramento Bee, 10/21/03)
* A bipartisan group of 16 California law professors praise Justice Brown's "commitment to individual freedom, even when rights are asserted by unpopular litigants." (Claire Cooper, "Coalition vows to fight nomination," Sacramento Bee, 10/21/03)
* A San Francisco Chronicle editorial said of her: "It takes judges with a deep respect for the law, and a willingness to set aside their personal views when making decisions. It takes judges with fearlessness, with a sense of confidence that the 'right' outcome will not always be the most POPULAR. Californians have a chance to cast a vote for an independent judiciary on November 3 by retaining ... Supreme Court justices who ... have all demonstrated a commitment to sound decision making.... The judiciary's job is to make sure that laws are applied fairly. George, Chin, Mosk and Brown have approached this duty with diligence and integrity. They should be retained." (Editorial, "Vote for Independent Court," The San Francisco Chronicle, 9/27/98)
The Honorable Priscilla Owen
* The President has nominated Justice Owen to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
* Justice Owen has served on the Texas Supreme Court since 1994 and was most recently reelected by 84 percent of the voters of Texas. She was endorsed for reelection by every major Texas newspaper.
* Justice Owen had a distinguished private practice as a law firm partner in commercial litigation for 17 years.
* Justice Owen received her undergraduate degree from Baylor University and graduated third in her class from Baylor Law School in 1977. She attained the highest score in the state when she took the Texas Bar Exam in 1977.
* The American Bar Association unanimously rated Justice Owen "well qualified," its highest possible rating. Justice Owen is the first nominee considered "well qualified" by the ABA to be denied a floor vote.
* Justice Owen has served as liaison to the Texas Supreme Court's Mediation Task Force and to statewide committees on providing legal services to the poor and pro bono legal services.
* She was part of a committee that successfully encouraged the Texas Legislature to enact legislation that has resulted in millions of dollars per year in additional funds for providers of legal services to the poor.
* She organized a group known as Family Law 2000, which warns parents about the difficulties children face when parents go through a divorce and teaches parents how to address those difficulties and how to make the divorce process as painless as possible for children.
* Justice Owen has significant bipartisan support, including three former Democrat justices on the Texas Supreme Court and a bipartisan group of 15 past Presidents of the State Bar of Texas.
* Democrat former Texas Secretary of State, former Attorney General and former Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice John L. Hill says of her: "President Bush honored impeccable integrity, character, and scholarship when he nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit a leading voice for reform in the Texas judiciary: Priscilla Owen. ... her approach to judicial decision-making is restrained, that her opinions are fair and well reasoned, and that her integrity is beyond reproach." (John L. Hill, "Struck Gold," National Review, 7/23/02)
* Raul Gonzalez, former Democrat Justice on the Supreme Court of Texas, said: "I found her to be apolitical, extremely bright, diligent in her work, and of the highest integrity. I recommend her for confirmation without reservation." (Letter to Sen. Leahy, 7/19/02)
The Judicial Confirmation Network is an organization of citizens working to support the confirmation of highly qualified justices to the U.S. Supreme Court and the federal appellate courts. In addition, JCN works to ensure that the confirmation process for all judicial nominees is fair and that every nominee sent to the Senate receives an up-or-down vote.
To schedule an interview with a representative from the Judicial Confirmation Network, please call Mike Russell 703-683-5004 (ex. 109)
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