WHEREAS:

The U.S. Constitution gives the president the responsibility to nominate judges to the federal bench and the U.S. Senate the responsibility to advise and consent on all federal judicial nominees; and

WHEREAS:

The current Senate has approved an overwhelming number of President Bush's judicial nominations, blocking only a handful of his nominees; and

WHEREAS:

Those individuals who have been denied confirmation to a lifetime appointment on the federal bench have a proven record of hostility towards women's rights, workers' rights, civil rights, environmental protection and basic fairness for all Americans, and have clearly demonstrated an inability to be impartial and not interject their own extremist views on our highest courts; and

WHEREAS:

A significant number of President Bush's judicial nominees have publicly embraced a so-called "states rights" legal viewpoint which would limit the federal government's authority to protect important civil rights and worker protections for state government employees and other Americans; and

WHEREAS:

This "states rights" philosophy has been embraced by a narrow majority of the U.S. Supreme Court, which has restricted the rights of state workers to seek legal redress under important labor and civil rights laws.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

That AFSCME continue to play a key role in the federal judicial nomination process in order to ensure that fair-minded judges are confirmed who will protect the rights of all Americans; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME work to educate its members about the importance of placing fair-minded judges on the federal bench and about how these public officials relate to their lives as workers and citizens; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:

That AFSCME oppose any federal judicial nominee whose record or background show hostility toward women's rights, workers' rights, civil rights, environmental protection and basic fairness for all Americans.

SUBMITTED BY:

International Executive Board