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'Justice Sunday' Hypocrisy Revealed

By Jeralyn, Section Judiciary
Posted on Sat Apr 23, 2005 at 11:20:09 AM EST
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When it suited its own purposes, the Family Research Council had no trouble urging use of the filibuster. People for the American Way (PFAW) reports (received by e-mail):

The Family Research Council is demanding that Senate Republicans override Senate rules in order to ban filibusters against judicial nominees – and has made false and inflammatory charges that the filibuster is being used to keep people of faith – and specifically Christians – off the courts. But several years ago, a senior Family Research Council official defended a Senate filibuster against gay ambassadorial nominee James Hormel, who was viciously attacked by radical right groups.

PFAW writes that in 1998, then-Senior FRC Writer and Analyst Steven Schwalm, appearedg on NPR’s Talk of the Nation and had this to say about the filibuster against James Hormel, President’s Clinton’s ambassadorial nominee:

...the Senate is a -- is not a majoritarian institution like the House of Representatives is. It is a deliberative body and it's got a number of checks and balances built into our government. This is one of those checks, in which a majority cannot just sheerly force its will, even if they have a majority of votes in some cases, that's why there are things like filibusters and other things that give minorities in the Senate some power to slow things up, to hold things up, and let things be aired properly.

People for the American Way will air a new ad tomorrow, opposing Justice Sunday. You can view it here.

It is imperative that we protect the independence and integrity of our courts. Don't allow them to be hijacked by the radical right. Protect the filibuster and our system of checks and balances.

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