WASHINGTON, D.C., July 4, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The unexpected retirement of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor from the United States Supreme Court has left Democrats and Republicans scrambling to defend their interests and to promote their preferred candidates for the vacancy in the country’s most powerful court. Justice O’Connor’s retirement marks the first vacancy in the Supreme Court in eleven years.
O’Connor announced her retirement to the president in a short hand-delivered letter last week. “It has been a great privilege, indeed, to have served as a member of the court for 24 years,” the letter read. “I will leave it with enormous respect for the integrity of the court and its role under our constitutional structure.”
After accepting her retirement President Bush spoke warmly of the first women ever appointed to the Supreme Court. “Throughout her tenure she has been a discerning and conscientious judge, and a public servant of complete integrity,” said Bush. He added, “Justice O’Connor’s great intellect, wisdom and personal decency have won her the esteem of her colleagues and our country.”
But with the conservative-minded president wielding the sole authority to nominate candidates for the position, many Democrats and leftist activist groups are deeply concerned about who the nominees will be. Many are preparing to lobby the Senate to filibuster candidates that do not meet their standards and who threaten their iron hold on this last bastion of federal power still under their control.
“The loss of Justice O’Connor’s moderate voice is a serious threat to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights, to women’s rights and to protection for racial, ethnic and religious minorities,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “We must all come together to fight for a replacement who follows in the Justice’s tradition.”
Conservatives, on the other hand, are calling for a non-activist nominee who will be faithful to the original intentions of the Founders, and who will not impose radical ‘interpretations’ on the Constitution. Dr. James Kennedy, a Senior minister with Coral Ridge Ministries with an active radio and television ministry, intends to present Bush with a petition with 200,000 signatures sometime this week.
“We, as a nation have been too long led astray by a High Court that has taken to itself the right to breathe new meaning into the Constitution, finding rights and discovering rules which defy and contradict the meaning of the text and original intent of the Founders,” said Kennedy. The petition calls on the U.S. Senate to end the “ideological blockade against President Bush’s court nominees”.
“We will not rest, we will spare no expense, we will leave no action undone in the service of restoring constitutional jurisprudence to America’s High Court,” said Kennedy.
Wendy Long, counsel for The Judicial Confirmation Network (JCN), expressed her confidence in Bush’s powers of discernment, and his intent to remain true to past promises.
“President Bush has said many times that he would fill any vacancies on the Supreme Court with jurists of outstanding legal ability and intellect, personal integrity, and a judicial philosophy in the mold of Justice Scalia and Justice Thomas” said Long. “Justice O’ Connor’s resignation gives him the opportunity to fulfill this promise he has made to the American people, and I’m confident he will do just that.”
JJ