The following appeal comes via Dean Dennhardt of Lincoln, Nebraska. Dean is working with several pro-life, pro-family groups here in our state to try and persuade Senators Hagel and Nelson to support the judicial nominees of President Bush. He requested I post it on Vital Signs Blog and I am happy to do it. Dean writes:
Dear Friends.
Good News! The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has approved the nomination of two of President George W. Bush’s judicial nominees, Janice Rodgers Brown and Priscilla Owen. The bad news is that some obstructionist Democrats may leave Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D. (R-Tenn.) no other option but to implement a rule change to ensure these two highly qualified justices receive a fair up-or-down vote.
Justices Brown and Owen are anything but short of impressive. California Supreme Court Justice Janice Rogers Brown, a nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, grew up the daughter of sharecroppers in segregated rural Alabama. Moving to California as a single mother, she worked her way through California State University-Sacramento and UCLA law school.
Texas Supreme Court Priscilla Owen has worked tirelessly for the nation’s poor. As the Texas Supreme Court’s liaison to the Texas Legal Service for the Poor Special Committee, Owen worked toward the stated goal of achieving equal access for the poor to the Texas justice system in both civil and criminal matters. While serving in this capacity, she successfully lobbied the Texas Legislature on behalf of the poor to enact legislation that has resulted in millions of dollars per year in additional funds for providers of legal services for those who could otherwise not afford it.
Justices Brown and Owen are both experienced and thoughtful legal powerhouses. Beyond being history's first African-American woman to serve as an associate justice on the California Supreme Court, Brown was reelected with 76 percent of the vote, the highest vote percentage of any justice on the ballot. Owen was elected with 84 percent in Texas.
Both have received unanimous praise from the media in their respective states and the utmost admiration from their colleagues.
There is no legitimate explanation as to why either of these nominees shouldn’t be confirmed. And yet, Senate Democrats are planning a repeat of blocking judicial nominees, who have majority support of the Senate, from a yes or no vote through use of the filibuster.
President Bush needs your help to make sure Justices Brown and Owen have a fair chance of being confirmed by the Senate. Please take a few minutes to stop by the office, email, fax, or call Senators Hagel and Nelson’s offices. Let them know that you support the president’s nominees, support the constitutional option of a fair up-or-down vote if the democrats continue abusing the rules of the Senate, and encourage them to do the same.
Senator Chuck Hagel
Washington, DC office phone #: Tel: (202) 224-4224
Washington, DC office fax#: Fax: (202) 224-5213
Omaha Office
11301 Davenport Street, Suite 2
Omaha, NE 68154
Tel: (402) 758-8981
Fax: (402) 758-9165
Lincoln Office
294 Federal Building
100 Centennial Mall North
Lincoln, NE 68508
Tel: (402) 476-1400
Fax: (402) 476-0605
Kearney Office
4111 Fourth Avenue, Suite 26
Kearney, NE 68845
Tel: (308) 236-7602
Fax: (308) 236-7473
Scottsbluff Office
115 Railway Street, Suite C102
Scottsbluff, NE 69361
Tel: (308) 632-6032
Fax: (308) 632-6295
Email address: hagel.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Offices.Contact
Senator Ben Nelson
Washington, DC office phone #: T: (202) 224-6551
Washington, DC office fax#: F: (202) 228-0012
Omaha
7602 Pacific St.
Ste 205
Omaha, NE 68114
T: (402) 391-3411
F: (402) 391-4725
Lincoln
Federal Bldg, Rm 287
100 Centennial Mall North
Lincoln, NE 68508
T: (402) 441-4600
F: (402) 476-8753 Email address:
Western Nebraska
(Chadron)
T: (308) 430-0587
(Scottsbluff)
T: (308) 631-7614
bennelson.senate.gov/email.html
