WASHINGTON - July 21 - Sierra Club, along with more than two dozen civil rights, women's, health, and religious groups, is running television advertisements to highlight the extreme records of some of President Bush's judicial nominees. Using the nominees' own writings and words, the ad shows how out of step these nominees are with most Americans. Each of these two dozen groups will feature the ad on their websites and the ad will also run in Washington, DC.

"Instead of nominating judges who are in the mainstream, President Bush continues selecting nominees who side with polluters, not communities," said David Bookbinder, Senior Attorney for the Sierra Club. "Even though President Bush is trying to tar Senate Democrats as 'obstructionists,' Senators have actually approved the vast majority of his nominees. Many of the controversial nominees barely received the American Bar Association's approval and President Bush is trying to pack the bench with these unqualified, extreme nominees."

The nominees featured in the ad have records of being hostile to environmental protections. William Myers, nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, has a well documented record of hostility towards laws protecting the environment. He has argued that the Endangered Species Act regulations are unconstitutional, comparing the government's management of public lands to King George's "tyrannical" rule over the American colonies. He also has opposed the protection of valuable wetlands under the Clean Water Act, one of our nation's preeminent environmental laws.

William Pryor adheres to the philosophy of "new federalism," which elevates state sovereignty over Congress's authority, including Congress's authority to protect the environment. Pryor has a record of working to weaken the Clean Air Act at a time when cities across the country are facing record numbers of unhealthy air days. When President Bush could not get Senate approval for William Pryor, he made an end run around the Senate, installing him on the Eleventh Circuit during a President's Day holiday.

The ad also mentions Jeffrey Sutton, who Senators confirmed for the Sixth Circuit. Sutton has opposed the protection of valuable wetlands under the Clean Water Act. His extreme views of the Constitution threaten to unravel the rights of citizens to sue polluters in federal court. He also opposes the rights of Americans to fight for environmental justice under the civil rights laws in federal courts.

"The Courts may be the last hope we have to halt the Bush administration's assault on the environment," concluded Bookbinder. "I am grateful that Senators have rejected some of President Bush's most extreme nominees and I hope they will continue to thwart the President's attempts to fill our top courts with anti-environmental lifetime judges."

The ad was produced by Haddow Communications. For a copy of the ad, please contact Wendy Balazik at 202-675-2383

Ad Script:

President Bush promised to nominate federal judges "exceptional for their humanity" & not judges who would threaten our basic American rights:

But Bush nominee William Pryor called Roe versus Wade an "abomination..." -- Remarks to the National Federalist Society, 1997

Charles Pickering called a cross-burning a "drunken prank." -- United States v. Thomas, 1994

Jay Bybee advised that the President could ignore laws forbidding torture. -- The Washington Post, 6/22/04

Carolyn Kuhl ruled that a woman's right to privacy was not violated by the doctor who invited a drug salesman to sit in on her breast exam. -- Azucena Sanchez-Scott v. Alza Pharmaceuticals, 1999

Jeffrey Sutton said the Americans with Disabilities Act "is not needed." -- University of Alabama v. Garrett, 2001

Janice Rogers Brown accused senior citizens on social security of "cannibalizing" their grandchildren's future. -- Speech to the Institute of Justice, 2000

And William Myers compared the government's role in protecting public lands to King George's "tyrannical" rule over the American colonies. -- Western Ranchers Fed Up with Feds Forum, 1996

Clearly the President has nominated "exceptional" judges - exceptional for the threat they pose to our fundamental freedoms. (202-224-3121)

Please tell your Senators to stand firm and not to confirm nominees like these.

Paid for by the Coalition for an Independent Judiciary. www.saveourcourts.org

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