27 Oct 2005 Black Conservatives React to Miers Withdrawal

Commenting on Harriet Miers’s decision to withdraw her nomination for the currently open seat on the U.S. Supreme Court, members of the black leadership network Project 21 are asking President George W. Bush to abide by his stated commitment to nominate individuals to the Court who will adhere to the original intent of the Founding Fathers.

“Harriet Miers knew it was best to withdraw her nomination for the good of
the country and for her own well-being,” said Project 21 member Deneen Moore. “When President Bush told the country he was going to nominate a Supreme Court justice with viewpoints comparable to Justices Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia, the country waited for such nomination.  We are still waiting.  Given these uncertain times, it’s important to know that the Constitution will not be brushed aside to permit whimsical decision-making that will affect this country for years to come.”

“The Supreme Court nomination process has become increasingly a political process that fewer and fewer individuals are willing to endure,” said Project 21 member Horace Cooper, a former congressional leadership aide who is now a professor at the George Mason University School of Law. “Until the Court rejects the prominent policymaking role it has assumed, this divisiveness will continue.”

Project 21 member Mychal Massie added: “Harriet Miers has proven herself to be an outstanding corporate legal talent and public service.  We respect and applaud her ability in both arenas, and we continue to accept the President’s promise to select originalist jurists.”

Another Project 21 member, Christopher R. Arps, said: “I’m pleased that the President has accepted Harriet Miers’s withdrawal. She has been a good and loyal friend to the President, and that is very admirable. Hopefully, the President’s next nominee will have strong, unquestionable credentials in the mode of Chief Justice John Roberts.”

Project 21 takes no position on the confirmation of any particular judicial nominee, but believes that it is in the best interest of the United States that judicial vacancies be filled with appropriate speed.

Project 21, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization, has been a leading voice of the African-American community since 1992.

For more information, contact David Almasi at (202) 507-6398 x11 or [email protected], or visit Project 21’s website at http://www.project21.org/P21Index.html. New Visions Commentaries can be found at https://nationalcenter.org/P21NewVisions.html.