From Reuters, 4/8/05:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=653030
Republicans Step Up Attacks on Judiciary
By Alan Elsner
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -
Christian conservatives, led by some top Republicans, are stepping up
their assault on the U.S. judiciary in response to the Terri Schiavo
case, saying judges are attacking religion and must be reined in.
At a conference on Thursday and Friday organized by the
Judeo-Christian Council for Constitutional Restoration, an umbrella
group bringing together many religious conservative organizations,
prominent Republicans joined with activists to assault what they term
"judicial activism."
House of Representatives Majority Leader Tom DeLay, under fire for his
use of campaign dollars and other ethical problems, addressed the
conference in a videotaped message on Thursday in which he denounced a
"judiciary run amok."
"Our next step, whatever it is, must be more than rhetoric," the Texas
Republican told the conference, entitled "Confronting the Judicial War
on Faith."
Conservatives including DeLay have intensified their criticism of
judges in the aftermath of the Schiavo case.
Several at the conference said the Florida woman who died last week,
13 days after her feeding tube was removed, was a victim of "judicial
murder."
"I believe the judicial branch of our government has overstepped its
authority on countless occasions, overturning and, in some cases,
ignoring the legitimate will of the people," said DeLay, who was
unable to attend the conference because he was in Rome for Pope John
Paul II's funeral.
Republicans rushed a bill through Congress to allow federal courts to
intervene in the Schiavo case.
But a federal district judge, an appeals court and the Supreme Court
declined to do so, deferring to Florida courts which had repeatedly
ruled that Schiavo, who spent 15 years in a persistent vegetative
state, should be allowed to die.
American University historian Allan Lichtman said there was nothing
new about politicians attacking the judiciary but the attacks now were
more intense than at any time since the desegregation era of the
1950s.
'PASSIONS BOILED OVER'
"The Schiavo case has made passions boil over. Republicans like DeLay
thought the courts would bend to their will but the courts slapped
them in the face," he said.
President Bush has frequently criticized "activist judges" he accuses
of "legislating from the bench."
Under the Constitution, powers and responsibilities are divided among
the legislative, executive and judicial branches, each of which acts
to balance the actions of the others.
Even before the Schiavo case, conservatives were enraged by judicial
decisions in Massachusetts and elsewhere allowing same-sex marriages,
banning public displays of the Ten Commandments and outlawing the
death penalty for crimes committed by juveniles.
Democrats have also criticized the judiciary over the years. Many were
extremely bitter at the way the Supreme Court declared Bush the winner
of the 2000 presidential election.
DeLay said courts had invented new constitutional "rights," including
the rights to privacy, abortion on demand and same-sex marriage.
Texas Republican Rep. Lamar Smith condemned the Supreme Court, saying
that over the past 40 years, starting with its 1962 decision to end
school prayer, it had conducted a methodical "assault on religion."
"There are many right-thinking judges but there are many who are not
right thinking and that's where Congress has to step in," he said.
The conference called on Congress to seek the impeachment and removal
from office of "activist judges" and said lawmakers should reduce or
eliminate funding for "activist courts" that take objectionable
decisions.
Delegates also urged Senate Republicans to employ the "nuclear option"
that would prevent Democrats from using the procedural hurdle known as
the filibuster to block judicial appointments.
Other speakers at the conference went well beyond DeLay in their
rhetoric.
Don Feder, a former columnist and media consultant, said judges were
participating in a "well-orchestrated attack on our Judeo-Christian
heritage."
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http://www.ElmerFudd.US/ http://www.notserver.com/
Scientology crooks: http://sf.irk.ru/www/ot3/otiii-gif.html
Scientology murder: http://PerkinsTragedy.org
Improving the herd: http://www.rightard.org/
http://www.religiousfreedomwatch.org/extremists/ricef.html
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