Back to Press Center

Related Links:

Opinion: Alito nomination endangers civil-rights legacy
San Francisco Chronicle
December 1, 2005

California Groups Say Alito Wrong Choice to
Replace O'Connor on Supreme Court

At Monday rally, organizations to ask Senators Feinstein and
Boxer to dispel illusion that Alito is "moderate" jurist

SAN FRANCISCO (Jan. 6, 2006) - Organizations representing over four million Californians are asking Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer to reject Judge Samuel Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court, saying that his record and lack of candor about his judicial philosophy have failed to earn the trust of Americans.

The twenty-nine organizations, members of the Californians for Fair and Independent Judges coalition, will hold a rally on Monday from Noon to 1 p.m. in front of Sen. Feinstein's office on 1 Post Street. Speakers will include: Dian Harrison, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Golden Gate; Tim Paulson, executive director of the San Francisco Labor Council; and Abby Levine, executive director of the Progressive Jewish Alliance.

"Samuel Alito's disturbing record of ethical lapses, broken promises and evasive comments to the Senate about his record demonstrate that we can't trust what he will say in the upcoming hearings and what he would do if he was confirmed to replace Justice O'Connor on the Supreme Court," said Jeff Berman of People For the American Way.

"Samuel Alito's writings and past rulings make it clear that he will undermine reproductive and privacy rights," said Harrison of Planned Parenthood Golden Gate. "Seven in ten California adults want Roe v. Wade to stand, according to a recent poll by the Public Policy Institute of California, and the majority of the country is also pro-choice. We need Supreme Court Justices who will support established law and protect the individual rights we have come to rely on as Americans, not extremists like Alito."

"Judge Alito's extreme right-wing views are inconsistent with mainstream legal thought," said Eva Paterson, president of the Equal Justice Society. "His embrace of executive power could give the President almost unchecked authority to violate private citizens' rights and his record shows he will side with powerful interests over ordinary Americans."

The following organizations call on Senators Feinstein and Boxer to vote 'no' on Alito's confirmation:

AFSCME
Alliance for Justice
Asian Law Caucus
California Women's Agenda
California National Organization for Women
Committee for Judicial Independence
Ella Baker Center
Equal Justice Society
Coalition for Economic Equity
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
Equal Rights Advocates
Greenlining Institute
Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
MoveOn.org
NARAL Pro-Choice California
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
National Lawyers Guild California
People For the American Way West
Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California
Planned Parenthood Golden Gate
Planned Parenthood Los Angeles
Progressive Jewish Alliance
Public Advocates, Inc.
California Church Impact
Rainbow Push California
SEIU California State Council

The member organizations of Californians for Fair and Independent Judges represent a wide spectrum of communities and causes: environmental, civil rights, civil liberties, reproductive rights, faith based, ethnic, labor, disability, gay rights, seniors, and women's communities.

For more information on how to participate in the Jan. 9 rally, please contact Nicole Yelich at nicole@fairandindependentjudges.org. For more information on the coalition, visit www.fairandindependentjudges.org.

-30-