Senator Sessions: Senate Should Not Fast Track SCOTUS

Press Release from Americans United for Life: AUL President to Sen. Sessions – Senate Should Not Fast Track SCOTUS

WASHINGTON – Charmaine Yoest, President of Americans United for Life (AUL), issued the following statement to support the appointment of Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) as ranking minority leader of the GOP and to address what’s being reported as a rushed nomination for the United States Supreme Court to replace Justice Souter:

“We applaud the appointment of Senator Sessions for this leadership position and his commitment to give a ‘fair evaluation’ of all nominees for the Supreme Court. He has an excellent record and we have confidence he will do what’s right in properly vetting this nomination.

“We appeal to Sen. Sessions to halt the idea implied by Sen. Hatch that President Obama will fast track this selection to the Court. Proper evaluation of each nominee will help ensure that he or she is qualified and values application of the law, and is not a liberal judicial activist seeking to impose their own political agenda from the bench.

“Several of the potential nominees being reported are, indeed, either not qualified or have records of judicial activism – a strong indication that they would use the Court to roll back abortion restrictions made by the American people through their elected representatives such as partial birth abortion and parental notification. Both of these laws are overwhelmingly supported by the public, but a Justice with an agenda could reverse the rule of law by legislating from the bench.

“Sen. Sessions, we urge you to begin your role as ranking minority member by putting the brakes on rushing through a Supreme Court nominee.”

It would appear that the Obama Administration does not have a very good track record on delivering qualified nominees to senior positions — each nominee seems to have a tax problem or confesses to a lapse in judgment.

The Supreme Court Justice nominee should be vetted carefully by the Senate.