Democrats Threaten Battle If Next Court Nominee Is Deemed Hard-Liner
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WASHINGTON – With chief justice nominee John Roberts’s confirmation guaranteed, Democrats yesterday promised a battle if President Bush’s next nominee is a hard-right conservative.
“If the president sends us a nominee who is committed to an agenda of turning back the clock on civil rights, workers’ rights, individual autonomy, or other vital constitutional protections, there will likely be a fight,” said Senator Schumer of New York, chairman of the Democrats’ Senate campaign committee and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Mr. Schumer’s remarks came as Republicans lavished praise on Judge Roberts, headed for certain confirmation today, and urged Democrats to provide respectful, nonpartisan debate on Mr. Bush’s next Supreme Court pick – who will have the power to swing the court to the right.
But Mr. Schumer said that if the White House sends up previously filibustered judicial nominees or extreme ideologues, Democrats would fight to the finish. Even Democrats who support Judge Roberts say they will fight any nominee they considered to be an ideological activist.
“My intention to vote for Judge Roberts tomorrow should in no way be construed as a weather vane for how I might vote on the next nominee,” Senator Wyden, a Democrat of Oregon, said. “In the past I have not hesitated to vote against several of the president’s nominees to the Courts of Appeal when they carried the ideological and activist baggage that I believe would be disruptive to our society.”