Texas Ad Hoc Coalition on Judicial Nominees
P.O. Box 684602, Austin, Texas 78768Honorable George W. Bush
January 2, 2003
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, DC 20500Dear President Bush:
As organizations that represent thousands of Texans who care deeply about consumer, worker, women’s and civil rights, we are concerned by media reports that you are considering the renomination of Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit despite her rejection by the Senate Judiciary Committee. We strongly urge you to not renominate Justice Owen.
Resubmitting Justice Owen’s name for a position in the federal judiciary in the new Congress would be highly controversial and divisive. We know Owen’s record well. Her rulings have been extreme and often directly at odds with established rights and protections enjoyed by all Texans. As made clear during her confirmation hearings in August 2002, in eight years on the Texas Supreme Court, Justice Owen has proven herself to be an activist jurist whose opinions not only stray well beyond the American mainstream but often run far to the right of the conservative majority of her own court. Justice Owen’s opinions reveal a troubling hostility to discrimination and employee rights, reproductive rights, public information rights, environmental protection and consumer and citizen rights.
We strongly encourage you to put forth moderate judicial nominees who can unite rather than divide the U.S. Senate and the American public. We continue to believe that there are many mainstream Texas judges who are well qualified to serve on the federal appellate courts, including several Republicans appointed to the bench by you as Governor. We encourage you to select judicial nominees who reflect mainstream American values.
Sincerely,
Lisa Payne & Paula Blackmon
Greater Dallas Coalition for Reproductive FreedomNina Perales, Regional Counsel
Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF)Joni Cohan & Beverly Sufian, Texas State Public Affairs Co-Chairs
National Council of Jewish Women, TexasPlanned Parenthood Association of Hidalgo County
Planned Parenthood of Cameron and Willacy Counties
Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas
Joe Love Nelson
Planned Parenthood of Lubbuck, Inc.Planned Parenthood of North Texas
Danielle Tierney
Planned Parenthood of the Texas Capital RegionPlanned Parenthood of West Texas
Susan Higgins
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice in TexasKae McLaughlin. Executive Director
Texas Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action LeagueJoe D. Gunn, President
Texas AFL-CIOTexas Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates
Margaret A. Harris, President
Texas Employment Lawyers AssociationDan Lambe, Executive Director
Texas WatchCraig McDonald, Director
Texans for Public JusticePeggy Romberg
Women’s Health and Family Planning Association of TexasJudith Shure, President
Women's Issues Network-Dallas