AAUW Pledges to Hold President to His Promise to Select Supreme Court Nominee Nation "Can Be Proud Of"
Organization Honors O'Connor for Service, Encourages Search for Moderate Jurist
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"Today the president commented that his nominee should be like Justice O'Connor in his or her faithful interpretation of the constitution and the laws of our country, and AAUW couldn't agree more. And, based on that promise, we hope that the president's nominee bears no resemblance in judicial temperament to his most recent judicial appointments and much more similarity to Justice O'Connor's."
- Lisa M. Maatz, director of public policy and government relations, AAUW
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Washington, D.C. — The American Association of University Women (AAUW) honored Justice Sandra Day O’Connor for her many years of faithful public service to the nation as she announced her retirement from the U.S. Supreme Court today. The more than 100,000-member organization also pledged to hold President George W. Bush to his promise of fairness in the nomination and confirmation process as well as to nominate a jurist who, in the president’s words at his press conference today, the nation “can be proud of.”
“With the retirement of Justice O’Connor, the president is facing the tremendous responsibility of considering a new nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court,” said Lisa M. Maatz, director of public policy and government relations for AAUW. “AAUW believes that the country would be best served by the nomination and confirmation of a moderate Supreme Court Justice who will bring a mainstream judicial temperament to the bench.”
Justice O’Connor received the AAUW Achievement Award in 1988 to recognize her for outstanding and groundbreaking accomplishments as a female jurist as well as her historic position as the first woman on the Supreme Court. Over the course of her 24 terms on the bench, she has been the swing vote on a number of cases that have clarified and protected many civil liberties and protections for women, most notably decisions related to Title IX, affirmative action, and reproductive health and privacy. Her departure leaves the future of many close 5-4 Supreme Court decisions in serious question. AAUW is concerned that the confirmation of an extremist, activist justice – like several of the President’s recent circuit court nominations – would turn back the clock on decades of crucial progress for women and girls.
AAUW believes that several Bush nominees such as William Pryor, Priscilla Owen, Janice Rogers Brown, and Thomas Griffith, are threats to civil rights and protections as well as dangers to mainstream judicial decisions.
“Today the president commented that his nominee should be like Justice O’Connor in his or her faithful interpretation of the constitution and the laws of our country, and AAUW couldn’t agree more,” said Maatz. “And based on that promise, we hope that the president’s nominee bears no resemblance in judicial temperament to his most recent judicial appointments and much more similarity to Justice O’Connor’s.”
“ Protection of the rights of the people is paramount and should take precedence over the agenda of either party. President Bush and the Senate should choose consultation and consensus instead of confrontation as they move through the confirmation process,” said Maatz.
“By faithfully following this course and abandoning extremist candidates, we hopefully will find a candidate that all Americans – not just ones on either extreme of the political spectrum – will be proud of. The American people deserve a Supreme Court justice who is committed to upholding the hard-fought constitutional rights secured through U.S. Supreme Court precedents. The Senate should confirm only those nominees that exhibit the impartiality and independence that are so critical on the nation’s highest court.” Maatz concluded.
Lisa Maatz is available for interviews on this and other public policy issues. Please contact Jean-Marie Navetta at navettaj@aauw.org or (202) 785-7738 for more information.
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The American Association of University Women, with its nationwide network of
more than 100,000 bipartisan members and 1,200 branches, has been a leading
advocate for equity for women and girls since 1881.
AAUW: Because Equity is Still An Issue
