MEET THE ALLIANCE FOR JUSTICE

 

June 2005

 

 

Background:

 

The Alliance For Justice Was Founded In 1979 By Nan Aron As An Association Of Public Interest Legal Groups. Its Original Mission Was To Address Issues That Affected The Survival Of Public Interest Law, But Recently Broadened It To Strengthen Nonprofit Advocacy And Equal Access To Justice. (Alliance For Justice Website, www.allianceforjustice.org, Accessed 3/21/05)

 

• The Alliance For Justice’s Special Project, Independent Judiciary, Is Solely Focused On Monitoring Federal Judicial Nominations. “Since its inception in 1985, the Alliance’s Judicial Selection Project has taken the lead in raising the visibility of the importance of the federal courts. The Project monitors judicial nominations at all levels of the federal bench. It encourages public participation in the selection and confirmation process and raises public awareness about the significant impact the federal judiciary has on the country. The Project promotes support for the nomination and confirmation of fair and qualified judges who have demonstrated a commitment to equal justice.” (Independent Judiciary Website, www.independentjudiciary.org, Accessed 3/31/05)

 

Nan Aron, President Of Alliance For Justice, Way Out Of The Mainstream:

 

“[N]an Aron [Is] The President Of The Alliance For Justice, A Liberal Advocacy Group.” (Sheryl Gay Stolberg, “Prepping For The Next Big Battle: The Supreme Court,” The New York Times, 12/8/04)

 

Aron: “Are [The Family Research Council And Christian Coalition] Out Of The Mainstream. Sure, I Think They Are Out Of The Mainstream.” (Hugh Hewitt Website, “Interview With Nan Aron,” www.hughhewitt.com/, 4/11/05, Accessed 4/14/05)

 

Aron Wants Courts To “Create New Rights.” “Because the Republicans now control the House, the Senate and the White House for the first time in basically a hundred years, there is obviously no way we’re going to get any new rights created by the Congress.  So now we have to look to the courts to create new rights that we won’t be able to get from the legislature.” (NPR’s
“Fresh Air,” 2/16/05)

 

Nan Aron Partisan Opponent Of Up-Down-Votes: “We Oppose Any Deal, But In Particular One That Allows An Up-Or-Down Vote On Any Of These Nominees.” (Kathy Kiely, “Activists On Right And Left Agree: No Compromise,” USA Today, 5/23/05)

 

• “Nan Aron… Was Flabbergasted That Democrats Would Consider Approving Rogers Brown For Confirmation Along With Either Pryor Or Owen. Judges … ‘Shouldn’t Be Horse-Traded For The Sake Of Political Expediency.’” (Paul Kane, “‘Nuke’ Talks Down To Wire,” Roll Call, 5/18/05)

 

• Aron: “These Nominees Are Agenda-Driven, Results-Oriented, Would-Be ‘Makers’ Of The Law. We Should Assess Them Not By The President’s Words, But By Their Own Deeds.” (Nan Aron, Op-Ed, “What’s Wrong With President Bush’s Gang Of Seven, Roll Call, 5/10/05)

 

Aron: “By Rejecting A Handful Of President Bush’s Judicial Nominees … Senate Democrats Are Exercising Their Constitutionally Prescribed Prerogative In Our System Of Checks And Balances To Slow Down This Anti-Democratic, Conservative Freight Train.” (Nan Aron, “Saturday Mailbox: Editorial,” The Baltimore Sun, 3/19/05)

 

• Aron Said Senators “Must Use Every Means Available” To Oppose The President’s Nominees. “Fair-minded Senators are the last firewall against an administration strategy to pack the courts with extremists beholden to corporate interests and hostile to civil rights and reproductive freedom. They must use every means available to protect our courts and the American people.” (“Alliance For Justice Praises Senators’ Commitment To Fight Pickering Nomination,” U.S. Newswire, 10/30/03)

 

Aron: “The President’s Agenda To Pack The Courts Is Crystal-Clear. His Nominees Favor Big Business And Special Interests At The Expense Of Ordinary Americans And The Rights We Hold Dear.” (Keith Perine, “Call For Up-Or-Down Vote On Judicial Nominees Likely To Fall On Deaf Democratic Ears,” Congressional Quarterly, 2/2/05)

 

Aron Attacked Alberto Gonzales, Claiming He Lacked “An Impeccable Level Of Integrity And Commitment To The Rule Of Law.” “Gonzales has consistently pushed the limits of Executive Privilege in order to shield the Bush Administration from oversight by Congress or scrutiny by the American people. … [T]he country’s top cop demands an impeccable level of integrity and commitment to the rule of law that Gonzales has not proven to possess.” (“Alliance For Justice Criticizes Senate Judiciary Committee Action On Gonzales,” U.S. Newswire, 1/26/05)

 

Alliance For Justice Funded By Out Of Mainstream Liberals:

 

In 2003, Alliance For Justice Received $4,920,601 In Contributions. (Guidestar Website, www.guidestar.org, Accessed 6/9/05)

 

Billionaire Financier George Soros’ Open Society Institute Contributed $535,000 To Alliance For Justice Since 1999.  (Open Society Institute Website, www.soros.org, Accessed 4/5/05; Capital Research Center Website, www.capitalresearch.org, Accessed 4/5/05)

 

• Soros Contributed The Most Money, $27,030,105, Of Any Donor To 527s In 2004 Cycle, Including To Joint Victory Campaign 2004, ACT NOW PAC, And Democracy For America. (Political Money Line Website, www.tray.com, Accessed 3/18/05)

 

·        Soros Has Been Called The “Daddy Warbucks” Of Drug Legalization. (Joseph A. Califano Jr., Op-Ed,  “Devious Efforts To Legalize Drugs,” The Washington Post, 12/4/96)

 

The Barbara Streisand Foundation Has Given At Least $50,000 To Alliance For Justice. (GuideStar Website, www.guidestar.org, Accessed 5/23/05)

 

Liberal Icon Ted Turner’s Foundation, The Turner Foundation, Has Given At Least $275,000 To Alliance For Justice. (Capital Research Center Website, www.capitalresearch.org, Accessed 5/23/05)

 

The Tides Foundation, An Entity Committed To “Positive Social Change” And Funding “The Progressive Movement,” Donated Over $835,000 To Alliance For Justice Since 1999. (Tides Foundation Website, www.tidesfoundation.org, Accessed 5/23/05; GuideStar Website, www.guidestar.org, Accessed 5/23/05)

 

• Tides Foundation “Guide To Engagement Giving For 2004” Highlighted Efforts Of Liberal Soft Money Groups Working To Defeat President Bush And Elect Democrats, Including America Coming Together, MoveOn.org And People For The American Way, Among Many Others.  (Change: Tides Foundation Guide To Engagement Giving For 2004, Tides Foundation Website, www.tidesfoundation.org, Accessed 3/1/04) 

 

The Ford Foundation Has Given Alliance For Justice At Least $3,017,000 In Grants Since 1998. (Ford Foundation Website, www.fordfound.org, Accessed 4/5/05; Capital Research Center Website, www.capitalresearch.org, Accessed 4/5/05)

 

·        The Seattle Post-Intelligencer Op-Ed: “The Ford Foundation Is As Liberal As Heritage Is Conservative …” (John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge, Op-Ed, “Conservatives Have It All Over Liberals,” The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 5/19/04)

 

Alliance For Justice Spending On Attacking President’s Judicial Nominees:

 

“The Liberal Alliance For Justice Spent A Quarter-Million Dollars On Ads Accusing Republicans Of ‘Abuse Of Power.’” (Dana Milbank, “A Day The Wings Were Left To Flap,” The Washington Post, 5/25/05)

 

Alliance For Justice Aligned With Liberal Groups:

 

The Miami Herald And The New York Times Have Both Described Alliance For Justice As “Liberal.” (James Kuhnhenn, “Conflict Brews Over Judicial Nominees,” The Miami Herald, 3/27/05; Carl Hulse and David D. Kirkpatrick, “Casting Angry Eye On Courts, Conservatives Prime For Bench-Clearing Brawl In Congress,” The New York Times, 3/23/05)

 

The Alliance For Justice And Other Liberal Groups Are Joining Forces With Ted Kennedy To Build A United Front Against President Bush’s Judicial Nominees. “Liberal groups such as the Alliance for Justice say they have begun informal strategy talks with Kennedy staffers about prospective high court picks. ‘Our main job is building on the research,’ said one liberal advocacy group senior staffer. ‘You are only as credible as the research you can generate on these potential picks. Research is a very important part of it all.’” (Andrew Miga, “Supreme Battle Looms For Rehnquist Successor,” The Boston Herald, 12/20/04)

 

• Sen. Durbin (D-IL) Met With Liberal Groups Such As People For The American Way, NARAL, And Alliance For Justice To Discuss Judicial Nominees. “[A leaked memo published by the Wall Street Journal] informs [Sen. Dick] Durbin he is meeting with representatives from People For the American Way, NARAL  … [and] Alliance for Justice … ‘The primary focus will be on identifying the most controversial and/or vulnerable judicial nominees,’ the staffer writes Durbin. ‘The groups would like to postpone action on these nominees until next year, when (presumably) the public will be more tolerant of partisan dissent.’” (Mark Preston, “Durbin Demands Probe,” Roll Call, 11/17/03)

 

o         “The Next Day, The Illinois Democrat Received Another Memo From A Staffer Saying The Organizations Opposed Kuhl, Owen And Jeffrey Sutton, Who Had Been Nominated For 6th U.S. Circuit Court Of Appeals. The Senate Approved Sutton On April 29, 2003, But Durbin Joined 40 Of His Colleagues In Casting A Dissenting Vote.” (Mark Preston, “Durbin Demands Probe,” Roll Call, 11/17/03)

 

Alliance For Justice Using Kerry’s Election Infrastructure To Fight The President’s Nominees. Aron: “This [Supreme Court battle] will be a repeat [of the Presidential election], and all the organizations that were engaged in work around the election, from big groups to small groups, will feel that this is their own personal fight.” (Sheryl Gay Stolberg, “Prepping For The Next Big Battle: The Supreme Court,” The New York Times, 12/8/04)

 

• Alliance For Justice Building Grassroots Network To Oppose The President’s Nominees. “[A]ron said her office had been flooded with calls from students, lawyers and activists ‘who were involved in get-out-the-vote work and now want to turn their attention to the Supreme Court.’ … Like the Presidential election, a Supreme Court nomination fight will feature polling, paid television advertising and grass-roots organizing. Ms. Aron said she had been ‘on the road for weeks,’ recruiting volunteers and trying to build networks in various states.” (Sheryl Gay Stolberg, “Prepping For The Next Big Battle: The Supreme Court,” The New York Times, 12/8/04)

 

Alliance For Justice Is Joining With People For The American Way To Air TV Ads Opposing President Bush’s Judicial Nominees. “‘We very much want to expand the coalition,’ said Nan Aron, president of the Alliance for Justice, one of the most active groups in opposing Bush’s nominees. While the extent of foot soldiers and dollars deployed by labor in the filibuster fight is still undetermined, Aron’s group and another longtime agitator in the nomination battles, People For the American Way, are beginning their own TV ad campaigns designed to gin up opposition to the ‘nuclear option’ Republicans are eyeing to end filibusters.” (Paul Kane “Labor Enters ‘Nuclear’ Fray,” Roll Call, 3/28/05)

 

• Alliance For Justice Aired “Phil A. Buster” Ad Campaign Against “Moderate Republican Senators.” “Meanwhile, the Alliance for Justice is preparing an animated TV ad with characters named Phil A. Buster, Checks and Balance. ‘It’s very campy and very cute,’ group spokeswoman Julie Bernstein said. The ad, tied to a new Web site, will run in four to six states with moderate Republican senators who have expressed reservations about changing filibuster rules, she said.” (“Washington In Brief,” The Washington Post, 3/30/05)

 

Who’s Who Of Liberal Groups Listed As Independent Judiciary’s Coalition Partners:

 

·    ADA Watch

·    American Association of University Women

·    American Constitution Society

·    Americans for Democratic Action

·    Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law

·    Brady Campaign

·    Coalition to Stop Gun Violence

·    Community Rights Counsel

·    Earthjustice

·    Feminist Majority

·    Human Rights Campaign

·    Justice at Stake Campaign

·    Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law

·    Leadership Conference on Civil Rights

·    NARAL Pro-Choice America

·    National Abortion Federation

·    National Council of Jewish Women

·    National Council of Negro Women

·    National Council on Independent Living

·    National Employment Lawyers Association

·    National Network to End Domestic Violence

·    National Organization for Women

·    Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays

·    People for the American Way

·    Planned Parenthood Federation of America

·    Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice

·    Sierra Club

·    Society of American Law Teachers

·    Southern Poverty Law Center

(Independent Judiciary Website, www.independentjudiciary.org, Accessed 3/31/05)

 

Alliance For Justice Supports Judicial Filibusters Against Nominees:

 

“The Allegation That Judicial Nominations Have Not Been Filibustered Is Wrong.  The Filibuster Has Often Been Used To Thwart Presidential Nominations, And Occasionally Nominations To The Supreme Court.” (Alliance For Justice Website, www.allianceforjustice.org, Accessed 3/21/05)

 

·        “There Is No Legal Basis For The Suggestion That The Filibuster Is Unconstitutional.  If The Filibuster Is Unconstitutional, So Are … Other Common Practices. Eliminating Them Would Wreak Havoc And Make The Senate Unmanageable.” (Alliance For Justice Website, www.allianceforjustice.org, Accessed 3/21/05)

 

William G. Myers

 

NAN ARON: “Bill Myers Exemplifies The Administration’s Too Cozy Relationships With Special Interest.  He Used His Job As A High-Ranking Government Official In The Bush Administration To Reward Mining And Ranching Industries To Which He Had Devoted His Entire Career.” (NPR’s “Morning Edition,” 4/1/04)

 

Janice Rogers Brown

 

ARON: Brown’s Record Is One Of “Hostility To Worker’s Rights, Women’s Rights, Civil Rights And Environmental Protections.” (Mike McKee, “Fight Over Judicial Nominations Heats Up,” National, 9/15/04)

ARON: “We Will Continue To Wage An Aggressive Campaign To Prevent The Confirmation Of Extremist Judges Throughout The Fall.  And We’ll Do Whatever It Takes To Keep Individuals Such As Janice Rogers Brown And Others From Being Confirmed By The Senate.” (Mike McKee, “Fight Over Judicial Nominations Heats Up,” National, 9/15/04)

 

• ARON: “We Will Do Everything We Possibly Can To Ensure That [Janice Rogers Brown Is] Not Confirmed.” (Mike McKee, “Slugfest Looms Over D.C. Circuit Nominee,” Legal Times, 10/20/03)

 

• ARON: “After A Thorough Review Of Justice Brown’s Record, We Have Profound Concerns About Her Ability And Willingness To Put Aside Her Extreme, Anachronistic Views Of The Law And Decide Cases As Statute And Precedent Require.” (“Alliance For Justice Strongly Opposes Nomination Of Janice Rogers Brown To The DC Circuit,” U.S. Newswire, 10/22/03)

 

Terrance William Boyle

 

Judge Boyle Is “An Out-Of-The-Mainstream, Conservative Judicial Activist Who Has Sought To Roll Back Well-Settled Precedents And Override The Express Will Of Congress.  His Opinions Are Hostile To Individual Rights Claims Made By African Americans, People With Disabilities And Others, Often In The Name Of ‘States’ Rights.’” (Alliance For Justice Website, www.independentjudiciary.org, Accessed 5/23/05)

 

Thomas B. Griffith

 

“Griffith Has Made Very Clear His Opposition To Aspects Of Established Title IX Law.  His Work To Undermine Equal Opportunity For Women In Educational Institutions Calls Into Question His Ability To Respect And Enforce Our Nation’s Civil Rights Laws.” (Alliance For Justice Website, www.allianceforjustice.org, Accessed 3/21/05)

 

William Pryor

 

“It Is Not Simply That Pryor Apparently Lied To The Senate Judiciary Committee.  It Is Now Clear That, Rather Than Serving The People Of Alabama, Pryor Has Been Lining The Pockets Of The Republican National Committee By Taking Money From Companies Under State Investigation.” (“Alliance For Justice Calls For Withdrawal Of Alabama Attorney General’s Nomination To 11th Circuit,” U.S. Newswire, 7/17/03)