Statement of NOW President Kim Gandy
July 1, 2005
Today Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor announced her resignation from the United States Supreme Court.
This is a state of emergency for women’s rights. Sandra Day O’Connor broke down barriers for women as the first female Supreme Court justice — and George W. Bush will try to replace her with a hard-right extremist justice who will put those barriers up again.
O’Connor has been the Court’s swing vote on key issues like abortion rights, job discrimination and affirmative action. She was the deciding vote to uphold women’s reproductive rights in the Court’s most recent decision on that issue, Stenberg v. Carhart, which was decided 5-4.
With the resignation of O’Connor, George W. Bush will have the opportunity to replace a justice who has often made the difference in the preservation of essential rights with an anti-woman justice who could influence the court’s decisions for the next 40 years.
President Bush has identified as his most admired justices arch-conservatives Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, whose radical ideologies make their decisions disastrous for the advancement of women.
This is not the time to play favorites. It’s the supreme moment to play fair. Every member of the Senate will have to choose sides – either they will side with the bullies in the Republican leadership or they will take the side of our fundamental freedoms.
NOW is prepared to lead the fight against any nominee who would turn back the clock on our civil, economic, and reproductive rights — and our supporters will be urging Senators to reject any nominee who is not committed to protecting those rights.
The character and record of anyone nominated to our nation’s highest court must be thoroughly reviewed and considered by the Senate in their important «advice and consent» role. Any nominee must demonstrate the ability to separate his or her political ideology from the responsibility to fairly interpret the law – and uphold democracy’s promise to protect the civil liberties of all people, not just the privileged few.
Bush will divide the country again if he makes this nomination process confrontational and controversial. After a close election, the country needs a justice with a sharp legal mind, strong personal ethics, and a commitment to upholding the rights and protections we take for granted in this country.
NOW is determined to make sure every person in this country understands what is at stake for our rights, our liberties, and our lives.
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