FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 8, 2012
Contact: Mallory Quigley, 202-223-8073
Nominee’s Judicial Activism Calls Objectivity into Question
Washington, D.C. –Today Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser sent a letter to the U.S. Senate urging all Senators to vote against invoking cloture on the nomination of Andrew D. Hurwitz to the Ninth Circuit Court on Monday.
In 1972, Andrew D. Hurwitz clerked for U.S. District Judge Jon O. Newman of Connecticut, during which time Newman struck down Connecticut law prohibiting abortion except to save the life of the mother. Newman’s ruling had a strong influence on the Supreme Court which was, at that time, on the second round of oral arguments of the legendary Roe v. Wade court case. A year later, Roe was decided, striking down all restrictions on abortion across the country. Since then in the United States over 53 million children have had their lives ended from abortion.
She writes:
“Judge Hurwitz’s involvement and strong approval with regards to then-U.S. District Judge Jon O. Newman’s influence over the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision arouses deep concern over his objectivity in weighing factual information concerning abortion.
“Judge Hurwitz’s record of judicial activism on the abortion issue should give pause to questions about his objectivity and ability to serve the Constitution and this nation.
“The Supreme Court will determine whether our culture is one of Life as guaranteed in the Declaration of Independence or one that advances the rights of one at the expense of another. Women are best protected by the rule of law – and blind justice. Their rights are most endangered when personal preference, ideology or personal history inform judgment. Susan B. Anthony and her early feminist compatriots fought for a human rights standard sustained only through blind justice. In that spirit, I respectfully ask that you oppose Andrew D. Hurwitz’s nomination to the Ninth Circuit Court by voting against cloture.”
The Susan B. Anthony List and its connected Political Action Committee, the SBA List Candidate Fund, are dedicated to electing candidates and pursuing policies that will reduce and ultimately end abortion. To that end, the SBA List will emphasize the election, education, promotion, and mobilization of pro-life women. The SBA List is a network of more than 365,000 pro-life Americans nationwide.
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