FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 14, 2005
SENATE DEM LEADERS WRITE
TO URGE BUSH, FRIST, HASTERT TO IMMEDIATELY DENOUNCE INFLAMMATORY
REMARKS BY THEIR SUPPORTERS
Conservative Leaders Compare Judges to KKK, Condone Stalin’s
Murderous Tactics, Call for Mass Impeachment
Republicans’ Silence on Heinous Remarks Could Encourage Further
Threats and Violence to Independent Judiciary Already Under Attack
U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer, Harry Reid, Dick Durbin, and Debbie
Stabenow sent a
letter today urging President Bush, Senator Frist, and Speaker
Hastert to immediately denounce a number of inflammatory comments
made by conservative leaders openly threatening sitting judges.
Many of these remarks, some by sitting members of Congress others
by conservative leaders, might be misused to provide unstable individuals
some justification for using violence against judges who don’t
rule in their favor.
Sen. Schumer said, “The Republican abuse of power has been
pushed by extremists who want to punish an independent judiciary
and simultaneously obliterate checks and balances effectively making
the U.S. Senate a rubber stamp for judicial nominees.”
“These outrageous statements represent a departure from a
line of civility which we have always refused to cross when it comes
to dealing with the separate branches of government. It is time
to put an end to this. We need to have an independent judiciary
in touch with the ordinary lives of American citizens, in touch
with the value of our families. But we always should stand and defend
the independence of our judiciary and the integrity of the men and
women who serve in that branch,” said Durbin.
The letter
states, “…we are asking you to immediately denounce
the inflammatory statements made by high-profile conservative leaders
that might encourage violence against judges. These rhetorical attacks
on judges come during a volatile time where judges and their families
have been slain. Among the volatile statements made are:
• This week Dr. James Dobson on his Focus on the Family radio
broadcast said, “Justice Scalia referred to his colleagues
on the court as black robed masters. Isn’t that incredible?
… I heard a minister talking about the great injustice and
evil of the men in white robes, the Ku Klux Klan, that roamed the
country and the South and they did great wrong to civil rights and
to morality and now we have black robed men, and that’s what
you’re talking about.”
• Just last week, a conservative lawyer-author, Edwin Vieira,
at the Judeo Christian Council for Constitutional Restoration, which
was also addressed by House Majority Leader Tom Delay, said that
Justice Kennedy should be impeached and said, “Stalin had
a slogan, and it worked very well for him, whenever he ran into
difficulty: 'no man, no problem.’” As you may know,
the full Joseph Stalin quote is, "Death solves all problems:
no man, no problem."
• Alan Keyes, a former Republican candidate for President
and the U.S. Senate also said at the Judeo-Christian Council Conference,
"I believe that in our country today the judiciary is the focus
of evil."
• Michael Schwartz, Sen. Coburn’s Chief of Staff, said
at the Judeo-Christian Conference, "I am in favor of impeachment,"
even, "mass impeachment" might be needed.
• House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said, “The time will
come for the men responsible for this [the Schiavo court decision]
to answer for their behavior.”
The Democratic leaders continued, “Comparing the United States
judicial system and those who serve on it to the Ku Klux Klan, condoning
the murderous Joseph Stalin, calling for mass impeachment is unacceptable.”
“Only in a banana republic would you expect judges to be
in fear of retribution from public figures for ruling for or against
powerful interests. These threats of mass impeachment and even violence
are dangerous and should be denounced immediately,” Schumer
concluded.
Click here to view
letter.
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