President Bush and his allies are trying to ram through a set of
ultra-conservative judicial nominees.
- Steve Matthews, nominated to the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia, has no prior experience as a judge. His qualification seems to be donations to Republican politicians.
- Gus Puryear, nominated to the U.S. District Court in Tennessee, has spent his career working for, and owns significant stock in, America's largest private prison operator. He faces inherent conflicts of interest when the imprisonment of anyone brought before his bench would result in his increased profits.
But there's a way to stop these lifetime appointments.
The Senate can enact the longstanding pre-election practice of simply refusing to move forward with confirmation proceedings for Bush's extreme judicial nominees. Tell Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy: No more Bush judges.