Justice Scalia and the Life of Laws

The New York Times, Letter to the Editor
Published: March 27, 2005To the Editor: Re “That Scalia Charm” (OpEd, March 21):As distasteful as a Supreme Court led by Antonin Scalia would be to many, we should focus not on the fight over a chief justice, but on who would replace him as an associate justice. In 1986, Justice William H. Rehnquist’s nomination to the post of chief justice dominated the discussion. By the time the Judiciary Committee turned its attention to Justice Scalia’s nomination, it was worn out, and the full Senate voted 98 to 0 in favor of confirmation. Justice Scalia sailed through even though he refused to say whether he would reverse Roe v. Wade and claimed that he had no agenda. The record shows otherwise: Justice Scalia has advocated overturning Roe whenever given the chance. That is why it is so important that the Senate act responsibly and fairly by confirming justices who are open about their views, and respect the values held by a majority of Americans. We cannot afford any more stealth nominees. Nancy Northup
President
Center for Reproductive Rights
New York, March 21, 2005

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E1DE153FF934A15750C0A9639C8B63