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ABA gives Bush nominee ‘unqualified’ rating
MSNBC & AP ^ | May 10, 2006

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 ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aba; federalistsociety; judicialnominees; lawyers; michaelwallace
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Wallace graduated with honors from Harvard and Virginia Law School and he obtained the highest honor for any graduating law student: a Supreme Court clerkship. He's a partner at a pretigious law firm.

And he's unqualified? More like he's conservative.

1 posted on 05/10/2006 4:41:06 PM PDT by Altair333
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Comment #2 Removed by Moderator

To: Altair333
The ABA is a liberal stronghold, but at least they took steps to appear mainstream. This stunt is the death rattle of the ABA as an important organization.

They just cooked their own goose.

3 posted on 05/10/2006 4:46:35 PM PDT by Doctor Raoul (Liberals saying "We Support The Troops" is like OJ looking for the real killers.)
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To: Altair333
Clarence Thomas was rated "unqualified" too.

To hell with the ABA.

4 posted on 05/10/2006 4:46:59 PM PDT by sinkspur ( OK. You've had your drink. Now why don't you tell your Godfather what everybody else already knows?)
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To: Altair333
Wallace, a long-time member of the influential Federalist Society

Dollars to donuts says that was what did him in.

5 posted on 05/10/2006 4:47:26 PM PDT by Michael.SF.
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To: Altair333

Is Trent Lott going to bat for his man?


6 posted on 05/10/2006 4:48:35 PM PDT by ethics
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To: Altair333
Heck, what difference does it make? Dems fillibuster all the "Qualified" nominees.

Maybe this will help.

7 posted on 05/10/2006 4:50:42 PM PDT by drc43 (Judges... Judges... get it done, then we can discuss priorities)
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To: Altair333

$##@!! commie trial lawyers!


8 posted on 05/10/2006 4:50:45 PM PDT by llevrok (When they come to take my guns, I will give them the lead first....)
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To: Altair333
He's up to be an appeals court judge and he's never been a judge before. Ever. Anywhere. Not even traffic court, apparently.

I'm sure there are plenty of qualified conservative judges who could be promoted to an appeals court slot -- do we really need to put guys who need on-the-job traning on the bench?
9 posted on 05/10/2006 4:51:06 PM PDT by kenboy
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To: Altair333

Cool. If the ABA rates him as unqualified, he must be a strict constitutionalist. Hire this guy immediately.


10 posted on 05/10/2006 4:53:19 PM PDT by Frumious Bandersnatch
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To: Frumious Bandersnatch

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


11 posted on 05/10/2006 4:59:28 PM PDT by leakinInTheBlueSea
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To: Michael.SF.

I believe you are incorrect


special counsel to then-Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi during the impeachment trial of President Clinton in 1999. *******

If he tried to help impeach Clinton , there is no way the Dems will ever accept him.


12 posted on 05/10/2006 5:02:56 PM PDT by sgtbono2002
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To: kenboy
He's up to be an appeals court judge and he's never been a judge before. Ever. Anywhere. Not even traffic court, apparently

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.

13 posted on 05/10/2006 5:04:34 PM PDT by pogo101
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To: Altair333

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.


14 posted on 05/10/2006 5:09:01 PM PDT by Doc Hunter
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To: sgtbono2002
You may be right, I saw that as well. But this guy is another federalist, as was either Robert's or Alito (maybe both?).

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!!!

15 posted on 05/10/2006 5:12:46 PM PDT by Michael.SF.
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To: kenboy

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.


16 posted on 05/10/2006 5:15:29 PM PDT by geezerwheezer (get up boys, we're burnin' daylight!!!)
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To: kenboy
Does Mr. Wallace have any appellate experience as a practitioner? That would be most relevant.

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.

17 posted on 05/10/2006 5:21:27 PM PDT by writmeister
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To: kenboy
He's up to be an appeals court judge and he's never been a judge before. Ever. Anywhere. Not even traffic court, apparently.

He was a law clerk for Chief Justice Rehnquist. That means he wrote Rehnquist's Supreme Court opinions. He's qualified. Perhaps over qualified.
18 posted on 05/10/2006 5:21:30 PM PDT by Zhang Fei
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To: ethics
Trent will be smoothing his hair...
19 posted on 05/10/2006 5:23:41 PM PDT by pointsal (Q)
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To: Altair333

I'm Shocked!


20 posted on 05/10/2006 5:26:47 PM PDT by cbkaty (I may not always post...but I am always here......)
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