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Posted on 09/26/2002 9:15:15 AM PDT by PhiKapMom
MIGUEL ESTRADA: AMERICAN SUCCESS STORY
Nominee Would Be Historic, First Hispanic To Serve On U.S. Court Of Appeals For The D.C. Circuit
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“Miguel A. Estrada brings to the court a distinguished legal record based on his many years of work in the public and private sector . . . . Mr. Estrada also brings a unique perspective and human experience understood only by those who have migrated to a foreign land as a teenager not knowing the language. It is for this cultural depth and his unique legal qualifications that HBR urges the Senate Judiciary Committee and all members of the U.S. Senate to put partisan politics aside so that Hispanics are no longer denied representation in one of the most prestigious courts in the land.”
(Mario Rodriguez, Hispanic Business Roundtable President, as quoted in Hispanic Business Roundtable Press Release, May 9, 2001)
ESTRADA IS “WELL QUALIFIED”
The American Bar Association Says Estrada Is “Well Qualified.” The American Bar Association (ABA) has given Miguel Estrada a unanimous “Well Qualified” rating, the highest possible rating. The ABA bases its ratings on “integrity, professional competence and judicial temperament.” Democrats have called the ABA rating the “gold standard.”
(Jonathan Ringel, “ABA Approves More Bush Nominees,” Legal Times, July 16, 2001; Amy Goldstein, “Bush Set To Curb ABA’s Role In Court Appointments,” The Washington Post, March 18, 2001)
The Senate Has Rejected Only One Nominee With A Unanimous “Well Qualified” Rating. If Democrats play politics with Estrada’s nomination, he would be only the second nominee given an unanimous “Well Qualified” rating from the American Bar Association (ABA) to be rejected by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The other nominee, Priscilla Owen, was rejected on partisan political grounds September 5, 2002.
(Senator Hatch, Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing, July 23, 2002; Chuck Lindell, “Senate Democrats Reject Bush Pick For Appeals Court As ‘Too Extreme,’” The Atlanta Journal Constitution, September 6, 2002)
Since 1943, Only Six Nominations Have Been Defeated In Committee. Since 1943, only six nominations, including Priscilla Owen and Charles Pickering, have been defeated by the Judiciary Committee and not brought to the floor for a vote.
(Denis Steven Rutkus, “Senate Judiciary Committee Votes On Judicial Nominations Other Than Those Approving Motions To Report Favorably, 1943 To The Present,” Congressional Research Service, March 5, 2002)
Estrada Is “Remarkably Qualified.” Gabriela Lemus, spokeswoman for the League of United Latin American Citizens, said, “So often you hear there are not enough qualified Latinos for these positions, but he is remarkably qualified.”
(Frank Davies, “Battle Is Brewing Over Court Nominee,” St. Paul Pioneer Press, January 6, 2002)
Estrada Has A “Proven Record Of Success.” Fraternal Order of Police President Steve Young said, “A necessary qualification for any candidate for a position within the Federal Judiciary should be a proven record of success as a practicing attorney. I believe that it is also necessary for a candidate to be familiar with the inner-workings of the Court, and to have respect for the law enforcement community of which they are an important part. Mr. Estrada meets both of these important criteria . . . .”
(White House Fact Sheet: “What They Are Saying About Miguel Estrada.”)
Estrada Has Superb Academic And Professional Credentials:
Estrada has argued 15 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He won two-thirds of those cases. From 1992 to 1997, Estrada served as Assistant to the Solicitor General of the United States. Estrada graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he was editor of the Harvard Law Review. Estrada graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Columbia College, New York. Estrada served as a clerk to Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy. Estrada is a partner with Gibson, Dunn, & Crutcher LLP, where he is a member of the firm’s Appellate and Constitutional Law Practice Group and the Business Crimes and Investigations Practice Group. Estrada served as Assistant U.S. Attorney and Deputy Chief of the Appellate Section for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York. Estrada tried 10 cases as a prosecutor and argued 7 cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
(Resume Of Miguel A. Estrada, U.S. Department Of Justice Website, www.usdoj.gov; Accessed September 25, 2002; Neil A. Lewis, “Appeals Court Nominee Facing Tough Confirmation Hearing,” The New York Times, September 24, 2002; Charles Lane, “Nominee For Court Faces Two Battles,” The Washington Post, September 24, 2002; White House Fact Sheet: “Who Is Miguel Estrada?”; White House Fact Sheet: “Miguel Estrada.”)
ESTRADA’S DISTINGUISHED RECORD HAS RECEIVED BI-PARTISAN RECOGNITION
Estrada Is “An Absolutely Brilliant Lawyer.” Robert Litt, who served as Associate Deputy Attorney General in the Criminal Division at the Clinton Justice Department, said, “Miguel is an absolutely brilliant lawyer . . . . I always felt that he was a talented and responsible advocate.”
(“Bench Book: New Faces For The Federal Courts,” Legal Times, May 14, 2001)
Estrada Is “Exceptionally Well Qualified.” Seth P. Waxman, Solicitor General under President Clinton, said Estrada and fellow nominee John G. Roberts, Jr. are “both exceptionally well-qualified appellate advocates.”
(Bill Miller, “Appeals Court Nominees Share Conservative Roots,” The Washington Post, May 23, 2001)
Estrada Is “Brilliant, Dedicated, And Principled.” In a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Randolph Moss, President Clinton’s former Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel wrote, “Although I am [sic] Democrat and Miguel and I do not see eye-to-eye on every issue, I hold Miguel in the highest regard and I urge the Committee to give favorable consideration to his nomination . . . . Miguel is a brilliant, dedicated, and principled lawyer.”
(“Miguel Estrada: An American Success Story,” The Latino Coalition)
Estrada Is “Genuinely Compassionate.” Vice President Gore’s former Chief of Staff, Ronald Klain, in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote the “challenges [Estrada] has overcome in his life have made him genuinely compassionate, genuinely concerned for others, and genuinely devoted to helping those in need . . . .”
(“Miguel Estrada: An American Success Story,” The Latino Coalition)
Estrada Is A “Superb Analytical Lawyer.” Robert S. Litt, Clinton Justice Department Associate Deputy Attorney General, said, “Miguel has an absolutely brilliant mind. He is a superb analytical lawyer and he’s an outstanding oral advocate.”
(Bill Miller, “Appeals Court Nominees Share Conservative Roots,” The Washington Post, May 23, 2001)
Many Groups Have Announced Their Support For Mr. Estrada’s Nomination, Including:
Hispanic National Bar Association
League of the United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Fraternal Order of Police
Hispanic Business Roundtable
The Latino Coalition
Hispanic Engineers Business Corporation
Hispanic Contractors of America, Inc.
(“Miguel Estrada: An American Success Story,” The Latino Coalition; White House Fact Sheet: “Miguel Estrada.”)
ESTRADA WILL FOLLOW THE LAW, NOT MAKE IT
Estrada Will “Faithfully Follow The Law.” Vice President Gore’s former Chief of Staff, Ronald Klain said Mr. Estrada would be able to “faithfully follow the law.”
(Bill Miller, “Appeals Court Nominees Share Conservative Roots,” The Washington Post, May 23, 2001)
Estrada “Will Follow A Legal Argument Where It Takes Him.” Randolph D. Moss, an official in the Clinton Justice Department, said, “As a matter of fundamental integrity, Miguel will follow a legal argument where it takes him and will not succumb to leaps of faith or lapses of logic to reach a desired result.”
(White House Fact Sheet, “What They Are Saying About Miguel Estrada.”)
Estrada Will “Faithfully Apply The Precedents Of His Court.” Ron Klain, former Counsel to Vice President Gore, said, “I have no doubt that on the bench, Miguel will faithfully apply the precedents of his court, and the Supreme Court, without regard to his personal views or his political perspectives. His belief in the rule of law, in a limited judiciary, and in the separation of powers is too strong for him to act otherwise.”
(White House Fact Sheet, “What They Are Saying About Miguel Estrada.”)
Estrada Is Within Mainstream Legal Analysis. Clinton Justice Department Associate Deputy Attorney General Robert Litt said, “I have never felt that the arguments he made were in any way outside the scope of legitimate legal analysis. While I may disagree with some aspects of Mr. Estrada’s legal philosophy, I believe that he is eminently qualified to serve on the Court of Appeals, and I hope that he will be confirmed.”
(“Miguel Estrada: An American Success Story,” The Latino Coalition)
Estrada’s Record Shows He Is Not An “Ideologue.” “[A] close examination of his record and career belie his portrayal by some interest groups as a right-wing ideologue.”
(Jonathan Groner, “When Labels Don’t Fit,” Legal Times, June 25, 2001)
Estrada Would “Keep An Open Mind.” Columbia University law professor John Manning, who has known Estrada since law school, said, “He would, as a judge, absolutely keep an open mind in any type of case . . . . He’s a lawyer’s lawyer.”
(Jonathan Groner, “When Labels Don’t Fit,” Legal Times, June 25, 2001)
Estrada Is “Independent” And “Fair.” Ronald Klain, who was Vice President Gore’s Chief of Staff, in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote that Estrada has an “independent streak . . . [that] will give every litigant, from any point of view, a fair chance to persuade Miguel of the rightness of his or her case . . . . He will ask tough questions of both sides, and give both sides a chance to win.”
(“Miguel Estrada: An American Success Story,” The Latino Coalition)
Estrada Does Not Allow His Personal Views To Interfere With His Professional Work.
While at Gibson, Dunn, & Crutcher, Estrada donated 450 hours of his time to represent a death row inmate before the Supreme Court, attempting to persuade the Court “to set aside a Virginia death sentence on the grounds of prosecutorial misconduct.” Estrada is personally in favor of capital punishment.
(Mark Helm, “GOP, Democrats Sparring Over Court Nomination,” [Albany] Times Union, December 2, 2001)
While he worked at the Clinton Justice Department, Estrada filed an amicus brief on behalf of the government on the same side of the case as the National Organization of Women. The Supreme Court unanimously agreed with Estrada in NOW v. Scheidler that the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) could be applied to abortion protestors.
(Jonathan Groner, “When Labels Don’t Fit,” Legal Times, June 25, 2001)
Estrada served for four years in the Department of Justice under President Clinton, and argued many cases on behalf of the government at that time. (White House Fact Sheet: “Miguel Estrada: The Myths V. The Facts.”)
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GWB Is The Man !!
Snuff Saddam, NOW !!
Death To all Tyrant's !!
The Second Amendment...
America's Original Homeland Security !!
Freedom Is Worth Fighting For !!
Molon Labe !!
And here's a Take Back The Senate.....
I don't know why these judges go through this crap.
I don't know why anybody would work for the federal government in any capacity, at all.
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