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Letter to the Honorable George W. Bush (Senator Charles Schumer, 6/10/2003)

Dear Mr. President:...

You, more than any other President in history, have chosen judges through an ideological prism. The White House’s reliance on ideology when it has come to selecting lower court nominees has led to conflict that has frustrated both of us....

The candidates I would advise you to consider are:

The Honorable Arlen Specter, Republican Senator from Pennsylvania.

The Honorable Ann Williams, Judge, Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, nominated by President Ronald Reagan to the Northern District of Illinois [and President Clinton to the Circuit Court].

The Honorable Edward Prado, Judge, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, nominated by you and unanimously confirmed by the 108th Senate.

The Honorable Michael Mukasey, Judge, Southern District of New York, nominated by President Ronald Reagan.

The Honorable Stanley Marcus, Judge, Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, nominated by [President Clinton to Circuit Court and] President Ronald Reagan [to District Court].

All of these individuals appear to be legally excellent, ideologically moderate, and several of them would add diversity to the Court.... While I would need to do additional research on them and question them personally before announcing my unqualified support, my initial review of their records is promising.

I am sure President Bush appreciates Senator Schumer's advice and will indeed nominate one of these abortion advocates in order to obtain Senator Schumer's (probable, pending further review) consent. Posted by Paul Jaminet at June 11, 2003 11:16 AM