ZPD WANTS EQUAL JUSTICE FOR ALL, AS ALL WOMEN SHOULD BE FREE FROM COERCION, ESPECIALLY IN REGARDS TO REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS ...

I'm not sure this is the fight to fight — but Roberts isn't Bork. He is the one who supported the disenfranchisement of Black voters in Florida which saddled us with the Bush Junta II 's Puppet Boy King. When Renquist goes - the fight should be for a liberal woman of color as Justice. And Justice Thomas AKA “the tool” needs to resign so we can have him replaced with a moderate. Expect to hear the Fundie Tools of the Right to start weeping for the children any day now.

Mother Jones and NARAL's Nancy Keenan write:

What exactly would John Roberts's confirmation to the Supreme Court mean for a woman's right to choose? There's been plenty of talk about his qualifications and record -- but if you are a pro-choice American who values personal freedom and responsibility, here are some key facts you need to know:

The truth about John Roberts's anti-choice record:

1. He argued to the Supreme Court that Roe v. Wade should be overturned. As Deputy Solicitor General under the first President Bush, he argued to the Supreme Court that "Roe was wrongly decided and should be overruled..."
   
2. He argued in support of violent clinic protesters from the anti-choice group "Operation Rescue" who have tried to block women's access to basic health care services with bombs and threats of murder.
   
3. Key figures from the radical right are overjoyed at his nomination. Tony Perkins, president of the anti-choice lobby Family Research Council, has said that President Bush "promised to nominate someone along the lines of a Scalia or a Thomas, and that is exactly what he has done."

If Roberts is confirmed to a lifetime appointment, there is little doubt that he will work to overturn Roe v. Wade. We must not allow someone who's spent his career advocating ending the right to choose to be appointed to the most important court in our country.

What you can do:

Send an email to your U.S. senators right now to oppose John Roberts. If we want to protect a woman's right to choose for the next generation, silence is not an option.

Please take action, then spread the word to your friends and family.

Sincerely,

President
NARAL Pro-Choice America

Bush nominates John G. Roberts for U.S. Supreme Court

US President George W. Bush today announced Justice John G. Roberts Jr. as his pick to fill the Supreme Court void caused by the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Roberts is known as a strong conservative, but is nevertheless endorsed by many from both parties. At 50 years of age, if confirmed, he will be the youngest judge on the court, and is expected to be able to serve 30 years or more. He was appointed to the D.C. Court of Appeals in 2003 by the President.

Bush offered the nomination to Roberts during a phone call at 12:35 p.m. EDT today, with the intention to release the information to the public tonight, at a 9 p.m. EDT press conference. The Associated Press had already revealed the president's pick at 7:45 p.m. EDT. Critics have already begun to voice complaints, including issues with free speech and religous freedom, along with reproductive rights. Supporters see Roberts as a conservative who cut his teeth with Nixon and Reagan — just the kind of nominee they were hoping for.

In 1990, Roberts wrote a brief on Roe v. Wade, which stated, "The court's conclusion in Roe that there is a fundamental right to an abortion ... finds no support in the text, structure or history of the Constitution." Though, during his confirmation hearings for the appellate court in 2003, Roberts stated that "Roe v. Wade is the settled law of the land... There is nothing in my personal views that would prevent me from fully and faithfully applying that precedent."

Sources

• "Bush Plans Announcement on U.S. Supreme Court Nominee". Bloomberg, July 18, 2005
• Wikipedia has an article about John G. Roberts Jr.. <-- Read it now!

. - ZPD o&o for now