Democrats, Progressive Groups Call for Release of Roberts' Papers

With the nomination of John Roberts for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Senate Democrats and progressive organizations are reiterating their call for the Bush Administration to release Roberts' papers from his time as deputy solicitor general. “Women have a right to know where John Roberts stands,” said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority. “The stakes for a generation of women are too high for the Senate to confirm a stealth nominee.”

The eight Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales yesterday urging the Bush Administration to reconsider its decision to withhold these critical documents. “There is no precedent for applying attorney-client privilege to the Senate’s request for documents, and much precedent in the opposite direction that supports our request, including the statements of prominent Republican Senators and the production of similar documents for past nominees, including the late Chief Justice,” the Senators wrote.

“If the Bush administration refuses to release these papers, we must ask ourselves what they are hiding,” said Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women. “And the Senate must ask the same question.”

TAKE ACTION Urge your Senators to vote NO on Roberts

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Media Resources: Letter from Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats 9/7/05; Feminist Majority; NOW release 9/5/05

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