Contact: Linda Jones, Judicial Action Group, 205-970-2211
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., May 7 /Christian Newswire/ -- Judicial Action Group had mixed reactions to GOP Presidential candidate Senator John McCain and his speech yesterday outlining his judicial philosophy at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC.
JAG President Phillip Jauregui stated, "Senator McCain's speech was excellent in many respects, and there were a number of excellent points. The 'pros' far outnumbered the 'cons.' The 'cons' however were weighty and cannot be left unchecked.
"Senator McCain explained his vote for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg by saying 'I voted for [her because she was] qualified.' By Senator McCain's own standards presented in his speech, while Ginsburg was experienced, she was not qualified.
"There is a big difference between experience and qualification. In fact, it was Ginsburg's experience that made her unqualified. She was experienced at legislating from the bench, both as a federal judge for over ten years, and as an advocate for judicial supremacy at both the ACLU and NOW. No one should have been surprised that Justice Ginsburg has turned out to be a judicial supremacist. She was one before she joined the Court and remains one now. Her experience and record made her demonstrably unqualified to protect the same Constitution that she had spent years destroying.
"McCain also asserts that in response to supremacist judges who show little regard for the authority of the president, Congress, and states, the 'only remedy available to any of us is to find, nominate, and confirm better judges.'
"Senator McCain is simply incorrect on this monumental point." Jauregui referred to Stanford Law School Dean Larry Kramer, who wrote: "The Constitution leaves room for numerous responses to an overly assertive Court: Justices can be impeached, the Court's budget can be slashed, the President can ignore the Courts' illegal mandates, Congress can strip it of jurisdiction or shrink its size or pack it with new members or give it burdensome new responsibilities. The means are available, and have been used to great effect when necessary by some of the most admired Presidents and Congresses in American History."
"We applaud Senator McCain for his support of federal judges who will apply the U.S. Constitution. His characterization of the Court 'applying' rather than 'interpreting' is an extremely important distinction which we are working to help more people understand.
See the full response posted at www.JudicialActionGroup.com.
