Senate Committee Approves Cook and Roberts; Estrada Filibuster Continues
Despite attempts by Democratic Senators to use a parliamentary rule to block a vote of two far-right judicial nominees, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 14-3 today to recommend the nomination of John G Roberts, Jr to the DC Circuit and 12-2 to recommend Deborah L Cook to serve on the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The full Senate will next consider these two anti-women, anti-civil rights nominees.
Cook, currently a justice on the Ohio Supreme Court, has received consistent support from the Ohio Right to Life Committee. In her more than 300 dissents on the Ohio court, she has repeatedly sided with business and corporate interests over individual workers. She also has shown a pattern of opposing enforcement of employment discrimination.
Roberts, currently an attorney in private practice in Washington, DC, signed a brief in 1991 that called for Roe v. Wade to be overturned. He also has argued against civil rights laws being used to protect abortion clinics from violence, affirmative action for minority business contractors and the application of Title IX to the NCAA.
Meanwhile, the full Senate continued debate today on Miguel Estrada, President Bush’s nominee to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. Feminist and progressive groups throughout the country are pledging continued persistence in opposing Estrada, who adamantly refuses to answer questions about his views.
The Feminist Majority joins a massive coalition of groups urging participation in today’s National Call-in Day, to commit senators to oppose the Bush court-packing scheme and oppose Miguel Estrada as well as Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals nominee Jeffrey Sutton.
5/22/2013 Immigration Reform Bill Advances In Senate - Last night, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a sweeping immigration reform bill in a bipartisan vote of 13 to 5. . . .
5/22/2013 Afghan Women Arrested for 'Moral Crimes' Increases 50% - A new report by the Human Rights Watch shows that in the past 18 months the number of women in Afghanistan incarcerated for 'moral crimes' has increased from 400 to 600, a 50% growth.
Many of the women imprisoned for moral crimes were arrested running away from forced or abusive marriages and families, even though there is no law against leaving. . . .
5/22/2013 Army Commander Suspended for Adultery Amid Wave of Sexual Assaults - On Tuesday, Brigadier General Bryan T Roberts was suspended from his position as commander of the Fort Jackson, South Carolina training camp which trains approximately 60% of incoming female recruits pending an investigation into allegations of adultery.
Roberts was suspended following allegations of "adultery and a physical altercation." Colonel Christian Kubik, an Army spokesperson for the Training and Doctrine Command, told reporters "We don't have any evidence of any sexual assault. . . .
