WASHINGTON BUREAU · NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE
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http://www.naacp.org/
ACTION ALERT
DATE: November 1, 2005
TO: Concerned Parties
FROM: Bruce Gordon, NAACP President & CEO
Hilary O. Shelton, Director, Washington Bureau
NAACP SERIOUSLY CONCERNED WITH SUPREME COURT NOMINEE SAMUEL ALITO'S RECORD
PAST RULINGS AND WRITINGS ON CIVIL RIGHTS, CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND RACE DISCRIMINATION NEED TO BE THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATED AND REVIEWED
THE ISSUE:
On Monday, October 31, President Bush nominated Samuel Alito of New Jersey to serve as Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. This nomination comes after the withdrawal of Harriet Miers' nomination to the seat. Judge Alito currently sits on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, where he has served for the last 15 years. Prior to his time on the court, Judge Alito worked in the Reagan Administration for six years, arguing civil and criminal cases for the Administration.
During his time on the Court of Appeals, Judge Alito has consistently supported efforts to limit civil rights claims of those who have been discriminated against; he has tried to go further than the US Supreme Court in restricting Congress' ability to protect civil rights and liberties; he has attempted to narrow acceptable evidence in gender discrimination lawsuits, and he has provided some very troubling opinions in cases of blatant police misconduct. In short, the NAACP has serious concerns about his ability to take into consideration the impact of race.
Given what we already know of Judge Alito's problematic views and records to date, the NAACP intends to continue to thoroughly review his writings, work and judicial temperament. Likewise, we urge every Senator to diligently follow their Constitutionally mandated role of advice and consent in the process to fill vacancies on the Supreme Court and carefully review this nominee to ensure that he is not an extremist who wishes to legislate from the bench. Specifically, we call on the members of the Senate to get clear answers on where Judge Alito stands on issues such as equal opportunity programs (including Affirmative Action), criminal justice issues, employment discrimination, continuing inequities in public education, racial discrimination, police misconduct, voting rights and the death penalty, especially for the mentally retarded or juvenile offenders. As part of their investigation, the NAACP urges the Senate to demand and thoroughly review all writings by Judge Alito while he worked for the Reagan Administration as well as during his current tenure on the Federal bench.
THE ACTION WE NEED YOU TO TAKE:
Contact your Representative and both your Senators and URGE THEM TO THOROUGHLY REVIEW JUDGE ALITO'S RECORD AND HIS POSITION ON ISSUES IMPORTANT TO AFRICAN AMERICANS AND OTHER RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY AMERICANS . To contact your Senators you may:
o Make a Phone Call:
Call your Senators in Washington by dialing the Capitol Switchboard and asking to be transferred to your Senators' offices. The switchboard phone number is (202) 224-3121 (see message section, below).
o Write a Letter:
To write letters to your Senators, send them to
The Honorable (name of Senator)
U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
o Send a Fax:
If you would like to send a fax, call your Senators' offices (through the Capitol switchboard) and ask for their fax numbers (you can use either the attached sample letter or the message box, below).
o Send an E-Mail:
To send an e-mail to your Senators, simply go to
www.senate.gov, and click on "Contacting the Senate"; you can look your Senators up either alphabetically or by state.
Unfortunately, not all Members of Congress have e-mail addresses.
REMEMBER TO CONTACT BOTH YOUR SENATORS!!!!!
THE MESSAGE
º Senators must execute the Constitutional duty of advice and consent in the process to fill Supreme Court vacancies to find out as much as possible about Judge Alito prior to voting on his confirmation to the United States Supreme Court.
º Of paramount importance to every Senator should be Judge Alito's position on protecting and promoting the civil rights and civil liberties of all Americans.
º Senators must ask direct questions – and receive direct answers – on Judge Alito's position on issues important to African Americans and other racial and ethnic minority Americans, including equal opportunity programs (including Affirmative Action), criminal justice issues, employment discrimination, continuing inequities in public education, racial discrimination, police misconduct, voting rights and the death penalty, especially for the mentally retarded or juvenile offenders.
º The importance of the seat Judge Alito has been nominated for cannot be understated; this is a lifetime position to fill a vacancy created by a judge who is often considered the "swing vote" on many issues important to racial and ethnic minorities.
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