I'm Shocked!
Posted on 05/10/2006 4:41:03 PM PDT by Altair333
WASHINGTON - The American Bar Association rated one of President Bush's judicial nominees "not qualified" Wednesday, prompting a call from a liberal group for the president to withdraw the Mississippi lawyer's nomination.
A panel of the nation's largest lawyers group unanimously agreed that Michael Wallace, nominated for the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, should receive its lowest rating.
Wallace, 54, was a law clerk to Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and special counsel to then-Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi during the impeachment trial of President Clinton in 1999.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
And he's unqualified? More like he's conservative.
They just cooked their own goose.
To hell with the ABA.
Dollars to donuts says that was what did him in.
Is Trent Lott going to bat for his man?
Maybe this will help.
$##@!! commie trial lawyers!
Cool. If the ABA rates him as unqualified, he must be a strict constitutionalist. Hire this guy immediately.
uh... maybe he should be nominated for the next supreme opening... prior judical experience has nver been, nor should it ever be, a requirement for appointment...
http://supreme.lp.findlaw.com/supreme_court/justices/nopriorexp.html
I believe you are incorrect
Um, I'm not saying we shouldn't consider (perhaps even prefer) already-sitting judges, but your formulation (effectively REQUIRING prior judicial experience) would have kept many fine judges off the appellate and SCOTUS bench, including Scalia (no judicial experience before DC Cir.), Rehnquist (none prior to SCOTUS), Kozinski (9th Circus), etc., etc., etc., etc.
I mean no offense, but that particular objection isn't a sound one.
I think it is about time we take back our Country. I am fed up with the ABA’s perspective. It is bad and we as a people should tell them so. The ABA’s ratings are not fair and balanced and hurt good people—like Boyle and the other guy whose name slips me. I am fed up with Congress and am just now at 65 expressing my feeling thorough the media. Here is an excerpt of my first letter:
By Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution of the United States, it is Congress and Congress alone that has to straighten out the Naturalization Rules regarding Immigration and all of the procedures in order to apply for Naturalization. It would seem to me that the will of the people is fairly obvious, illegal marchers not withstanding. Yet all I see is vacillation, procrastination, and subterfuge. No one seems willing to actually do something, anything—other than spend our money of course.
We have had immigration problems for years. Indeed, we have had energy problems (France is 75% nuclear powered, for goodness sake!). We have had ethics problems in Congress, pork barrel issues, welfare problems, a terrible and complicated tax system and a Social Security system that is slowly but surely sinking into a peat bog, for years. What we don’t seem to have is any accountability. When Senator Specter starts dancing the two step around what the meaning of “amnesty” is, we have a “failure to communicate” but accountability is no where to be seen.
I do not believe that every young man or woman that goes to Washington is a low down, mean spirited sidewinder, but somehow, in short order, they all seem to become that. They lose sight of who they were and what they were sent to do; Representative Spence perhaps being the lone exception that I can see. I do not see where there is much movement. I do not see where there is much movement caused by letter writing to our senators and representatives, although I am willing to do so and am. It appears that only the Mighty Media have the politicians’ ear.
So in that vein, I seek your aid in getting the movement for accountability in Congress going. You are an influential member of said Mighty Media, with you position as commentator on ####### and your efforts for the ##########. We need you to start the push for simple accountability from Congress. When Senator Durbin sits with Tim Russert and makes a whole collection of adle-pated comments about “the environment while discussing Anwar and $3.00 gasoline, someone needs to grab him by the stacking swivel and burst his bubble. We are not Cheez Whiz; we are the sovereign citizens of this nation, and we are not happy! It is time they stop trying to simply smear President Bush and get on with the job for which they were elected, the business of this nation.
Thank you and your staff for, at least, reading my letter. I am just a lone voice in Middle America—neither a Republican nor a Democrat—but a Patriot wanting our Congress to refocus and move this country forward in a positive manner. I believe I am speaking for the silent majority of this country.
Maybe it was the com bination of the two that sealed his fate from their POV.
Now, for Bush to show some balls and fight for him!!!
When using your rules of previous judgeships, we would be without the services of some of the very best minds to ever serve as federal judges, like maybe Justice Scalia and Justice Thomas to name just a few. You need to reconsider your comments.
Since the role of an appellate judge and a trial judge are quite different, I do not think being a trial judge is the end-all be-all requisite for being an appellate judge.
I'm Shocked!
This is why the libs at the ABA say he's "unqualified." The ABA is going to have a hard time claiming they're nonpartisan.
Ivy League education, top law school and a SCOTUS clerkship are common credentials for an appellate nominee. Either this guy has had some problem during his legal career - or he's been found guilty of practicing law while conservative.
he clerked for Rhenquist...that's probably tougher than being a judge. This guy is likely eminently qualified.
That would be a surprise.
Actually, Clarence Thomas was rated "qualified", but not "well qualified."
But the ABA at least owes an explanation to such a rating to this nominee. If they don't offer one or if the explanation is lame, then you're right: TO HELL WITH THE ABA!!!
I wonder what rating the ABA gave to Judge Guido Calabresi, of the United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, when Clintoon nominated him in 1994. Here is a link to his background (click on his name): http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/
Note that the total lack of any judicial experience did not prevent him from serving on what many think is the most important circuit court in the Federal System, except perhaps for the Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C.
OK. I had thought he was rated unqualified.
Ralph Neas is an idiot, Alito had a perfect rating from the ABA and Neas the Moron was A wild maniac in his opposition. What an absolutely liberal POS.
Whatever the ABA's reason, I expect this kills Wallace's chances. The Dems can fillibuster and the gang of 14 will have an excuse for finding "extraordinary circumstances."
No balls no brains trent??? This guy will run like a little sissy from any confrontation.
I don't know....if he was Special Counsel to TRENT LOTT during the Clinton Impeachment trial, maybe he is unqualified?
The ABA is unqualified.
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