LCCR Expands Campaign to Defeat Extremist Judicial Nominees

Media 06.30,03

Washington, DC ? Expanding its campaign opposing the Bush administration’s extremist nominees to the federal courts, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), the nation’s oldest, largest, and most diverse civil rights coalition, today launched a national Save Our Courts initiative.

As the Supreme Court term comes to an end, there is growing speculation that one or more justices might retire. “LCCR is very concerned about the prospect of a new, extremist nominee to the Supreme Court, in the mold of Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, judges who George W. Bush views as having the ideology and records he most favors. Further, even if there is no Supreme Court vacancy this year, our freedoms are already threatened by extremist federal judicial nominees at the circuit and district court levels,” said LCCR Executive Director Wade Henderson.

The new Save Our Courts campaign will include grassroots training kits, media briefings, and a new web clearinghouse, www.SaveOurCourts.org. Forthcoming on the new website will be:


  • Information about how the public can find out more about nominees, as well as get involved in the campaign to Save Our Courts;

  • State-by-state listing of events and efforts to educate voters as well as the media;

  • Links to other organizations involved in efforts to oppose many of Bush’s judicial nominees.


“The individuals charged with dispensing justice in our society have a direct impact on all of our rights, as well as on protecting the environment, workers, and consumers. Our federal judges?who are appointed for life?must be moderate, fair and impartial. What could be more important than saving our courts from extremist ideologues?” said Henderson.

LCCR, in partnership with the Communications Consortium Media Center and Earthjustice, also unveiled a new daily judicial nominations e-newsletter entitled, “Nominations in the News,” which will collect and disseminate news about President Bush’s federal judicial nominations.

The new web site, www.SaveOurCourts.org, a comprehensive online clearinghouse of information relating to controversial judicial nominations, will offer such features as Real People, Real Stories?personal stories of individuals affected by some of President Bush’s extreme judicial nominations; Media Watch, an interactive map of judicial nominations media in each state; and The Facts, facts and information on the Bush adminstration’s dangerous plan to pack the federal courts with extremists.

Nancy Zirkin, LCCR Deputy Director, said, “For many Americans, the federal judiciary is the first line of defense of our constitutional freedoms. The confirmation of lifetime right wing judges will dramatically reduce the civil rights of millions of Americans.”