Jul 22 2008
4th Circuit Nomination Held Up Over Partisan Bickering
WASHINGTON — U.S. District Judge Robert Conrad of Charlotte is either an arbitrator so honest that he would rule against his own brother or a conservative extremist who would “turn the clock back” on people’s rights.
Whether his friends or foes are correct – or the truth is somewhere in between one thing seems certain: He is no closer to sitting on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, or even getting a confirmation hearing, than he was on the day President Bush nominated him a year ago.
Americans should really be outraged about this. There have been four seats vacant on this court for years. Both parties have engaged in judicial obstructionist tactics in the past, but it has never been nearly as bad as what we have seen in the Bush administration.
Conrad is more than qualified. He received a “Well Qualified” rating from the American Bar Association.
Liberal judicial advocacy groups cite a record of “radical right wing positions,” including arguing for the death penalty and opposition to abortion.
There is nothing radical about supporting the death penalty and opposing abortion. Those are very mainstream views. It’s quite clear what is going on in the Senate. The Democrats are obstructing these judicial picks in hopes of an Obama victory this year in the election and then they can fill these courts with left leaning judges. Meanwhile, the 4th Circuit Court is understaffed and overburdened and it is undermining our nation’s system of justice. People really need to demand more from their elected representatives.
