Conservative Advocates Successfully Lobby For Language On High Court Nominees In GOP Platform, The Hill Reports

Main Category: Litigation / Medical Malpractice
Also Included In: Abortion
Article Date: 10 Sep 2008 - 5:00 PDT

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Conservative advocates successfully placed language in the 2008 Republican Party platform that urges the party's presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) to avoid "stealth nominations" to the Supreme Court, The Hill reports.

McCain in the past has said that, if elected, he would nominate judges similar to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts; however, some conservatives are concerned he would appoint a nominee who appears conservative at first and later develops into a liberal or someone who has a broader view of the Constitution, according to The Hill. The platform states, "We oppose stealth nominations to the federal bench, and especially the Supreme Court, whose lack of a clear and distinguished record leaves doubt about their respect for the Constitution." It adds that the party "reject[s] the Democrats' view that judicial nominees should guarantee particular results even before a case is filed."

Connie Mackey, vice president of the legislative action arm of the Family Research Council, said discussion of former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge (R) and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), both of whom support abortion rights, as possible vice presidential nominees "put conservatives in a restless state." Tucker Bounds, spokesperson for the McCain campaign, said, "John McCain has been clear that he will appoint strict-constructionist jurists and judges that won't legislate from the bench." Some conservative advocates said the platform includes language on other issues that the party base and McCain have disagreed on, such as a ban on human embryonic stem cell research (Bolton, The Hill, 9/8).

~ NPR's "Day to Day" on Monday reported on the importance of abortion-related issues in the presidential election. The segment includes comments from Clyde Wilcox, a professor of government at Georgetown University, Feminists for Life President Serrin Foster, Republicans for Choice National Chair Ann Stone, Planned Parenthood Action Fund President Cecile Richards and a voter at the Republican convention (Cohen, "Day to Day," NPR, 9/8).

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