Civil Rights Leader Quits NAACP Over Judicial Nominee

WASHINGTON — A Democratic champion of the left has resigned as a member of the NAACP, saying officials tried to strong-arm him into dropping his endorsement of a controversial Bush judicial nominee.

Los Angeles civil rights attorney and radio talk show host Leo Terrell (search), who has made headlines in recent years for defending friend O.J. Simpson, and speaking out against the Bush administration, accused the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (search) of "an old-fashioned backdoor power-play," and vowed to use his weekly radio show to incriminate the 94-year-old civil rights organization.

"How dare the NAACP tell me who I can or cannot endorse on an individual basis. That is the part that makes this so outrageous," Terrell told Foxnews.com. "I am going to tell the whole world what the NAACP did to me."

Terrell said he has been a vocal supporter of California judge Carolyn Kuhl (search), nominated by President Bush to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (search). The Senate vote on her confirmation was postponed until September by Democratic opponents who cite legal briefs she wrote in the 1980s under the Reagan administration to suggest her record is too far to the right on privacy, civil rights and abortion.

Her opponents are backed by women’s groups and the NAACP, who have been instrumental in rallying behind the Democratic filibuster of several other GOP judicial nominees.

"I am proud to support Judge Kuhl," Terrell said, noting that he has argued civil rights cases in her courtroom. "As a jurist, she was fair and she applied the law."

The split with the NAACP was prompted by a recent press release supporting the judge, and on which Terrell listed his own credentials, including that he has been doing voluntary legal work for the NAACP for 13 years.

The mention of the organization elicited a phone call Wednesday from the NAACP legal office, he said, and the tone was not conciliatory.

"In a nutshell, I got a call from legal counsel in Washington, basically saying I am not an NAACP attorney. I said I have been volunteering my time for 13 years," said Terrell. "They said that the NAACP does not endorse Kuhl, and I said, 'That’s funny, because I do.'"

He said the message was implicit — drop the endorsement or leave the NAACP off your resume. "It’s really horrible, this is two guys back in Washington calling me out here telling me to drop my endorsement or don’t call yourself an NAACP attorney."

"I support her 100 percent and I’m not going to change that," he said. "From a standpoint of knowing what to do, this was the easiest decision of my life."

Officials from the NAACP headquarters in Maryland did not return calls for comment on Thursday.

Terrell isn’t the first black activist to put himself at risk of retribution from within the black establishment for endorsing the so-called enemy. The head of the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus, Phillip West (search), announced in May that he would support the nomination of Judge Charles Pickering to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Pickering's nomination was ultimately blocked by Democrats who said he was too conservative — and hinted too racist — for the bench. West’s endorsement was met with staunch criticism from his black colleagues.

"Our strength is in the pack," said Mississippi Democratic Rep. Tom Wallace. "I don't think it's healthy for a bunch of us to go out individually. We need to ride with what the group stands for."

Ron Walters, director of the African American Leadership Institute (search), said it is no surprise that the NAACP did not want its name used on a press release touting an individual member’s personal point of view.

“You can always exercise your First Amendment rights, just don’t put the name of the organization on it,” he said, noting that most groups have the same policy. “This is no surprise. This is his private agenda.”

But Niger Innis (search), a spokesman for the Congress for Racial Equality (search), a conservative black think tank, said Terrell, who is often his verbal adversary on television news programs, must have "gotten religion" and seen the light regarding liberal strong-arm tactics.

"There was a time when the NAACP was truly viewed as being non-partisan," he said. "They have become a totally ideological vehicle. They have gone from being the grandfather of the civil rights revolution to a political operation and a wing of the Democratic Party."

"It turned out to be a really phony organization," he said. ---------------------------------------------------------

Civil rights lawyer quits NAACP in rift over judge pick, Washington Times: By Charles Hurt

[snip]     "They were trying to make me goose-step with them," said Mr. Terrell, who joined the NAACP 13 years ago and has done free legal work for the group. "I felt embarrassed to call myself a member of the NAACP. I was proud to quit."
    But Hilary O. Shelton, director of the NAACP's Washington office, said he called Mr. Terrell simply to advise him against billing himself as an "NAACP lawyer."
    "He's not an NAACP lawyer, not even a former NAACP lawyer," Mr. Shelton said. "He's done volunteer work for us, which we appreciate.
    "But when he takes a position that is diametrically opposite from our position, he's not speaking for us," he said.
[snip]         Mr. Terrell said the NAACP's opposition to Judge Kuhl is not about principle, but all about politics.
    "This organization is as political as the Democratic Senatorial Committee," he said. "They're in the back pocket of the Democratic Party on this issue."

Civil rights lawyer quits NAACP in rift over judge pick

By Charles Hurt
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

    A prominent black civil rights lawyer from California quit the NAACP this week after a disagreement with the group over his support of one of President Bush's judicial nominees.
    After Leo Terrell appeared at a news conference last week in support of a nominee being blocked by Democrats, two officials of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People telephoned him and tried "bullying" him over his position, he said.
    "They were trying to make me goose-step with them," said Mr. Terrell, who joined the NAACP 13 years ago and has done free legal work for the group. "I felt embarrassed to call myself a member of the NAACP. I was proud to quit."
    But Hilary O. Shelton, director of the NAACP's Washington office, said he called Mr. Terrell simply to advise him against billing himself as an "NAACP lawyer."
    "He's not an NAACP lawyer, not even a former NAACP lawyer," Mr. Shelton said. "He's done volunteer work for us, which we appreciate.
    "But when he takes a position that is diametrically opposite from our position, he's not speaking for us," he said.
    Mr. Terrell, based in Beverly Hills, specializes in civil rights and discrimination cases. He is the author of a book titled "Your Rights at the Workplace: The Things Your Boss Won't Tell You." He also hosts a radio talk show about legal issues and current affairs on KABC-AM in Los Angeles. His profile on the station's Web site describes him as an attorney for the NAACP.
    His dispute with the NAACP comes after Mr. Terrell took a public stance in favor of California Judge Carolyn Kuhl, Mr. Bush's nominee to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Kuhl is strenuously opposed by Democrats and is expected to become the fourth Bush nominee filibustered in the Senate.
    "She's fair, she's impartial," said Mr. Terrell, who tried a case before her three years ago. "That's all I ever want from a judge."
    But like many other top Democratic interest groups, the NAACP adamantly opposes Judge Kuhl.
    "She's been very rigid in her unyielding support for corporate interests," Mr. Shelton said. Complaints from most other groups stem from her work in the Reagan administration, when she questioned the settlement of certain abortion rights cases.
    The opposition to Judge Kuhl's nomination is part of a larger blockade of several of Mr. Bush's nominees to the federal bench.
    Already, a group of 45 Democratic senators are filibustering three nominees: Washington lawyer Miguel Estrada, nominated to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia; Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen, nominated to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals; and Alabama Attorney General William H. Pryor, nominated to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
    Judge Kuhl is opposed by Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, California Democrats, who have written letters urging that her nomination be spiked.
    Republican Senate leaders plan to try forcing a final confirmation vote on Judge Kuhl when they return from summer recess in September. Her nomination is expected to be filibustered.
    But several Democratic lawyers who have tried cases before Judge Kuhl share Mr. Terrell's view that she should be confirmed.
    "I certainly didn't get all the rulings I wanted, but I felt all of her rulings were reasonable," Los Angeles trial lawyer Bruce Broillet told a local legal journal. "She had an excellent judicial temperament. As you can tell, I hold her in high regard. A lot of consumer attorneys have very good things to say about Carolyn Kuhl."
    Mr. Terrell said the NAACP's opposition to Judge Kuhl is not about principle, but all about politics.
    "This organization is as political as the Democratic Senatorial Committee," he said. "They're in the back pocket of the Democratic Party on this issue."

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.