Showing the world that he hasn't had quite enough fun with recess yet, President Bush has bypassed the Senate again to make another recess appointment to the federal court today, this time
appointing Alabama Attorney General William Pryor to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta.
Pickering was bad enough. If anything could clear the fog of grief over Howard Dean's demise, Pryor's appointment might be it for me.
Here's a choice quote from our newest federal judge:
"I will never forget Jan. 22, 1973, the day seven members of our highest court
ripped the Constitution and ripped out the life of millions of unborn children." (1997)
Read on for more on Bush's recess fun.
Pryor's not just a one-hit wonder. As a judicial rock star of the extreme right-wing , his interests go beyond his vehement anti-reproductive rights agenda and include his work as a proud proponent of prayer in public schools and a vociferous opponent of "homosexual rights."
A thoroughly footnoted background brief on Pryor prepared by the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) includes these zingers:
Pryor's ultra-conservative activism dates back at least to his law school years. He is anunabashed ideologue who has bragged that he launched his legal career out of a desire to move the law to the right:
"I became a lawyer because I wanted to fight the ACLU--the Anti-American Civil Liberties Union." ...
In the case currently before the Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of Texas's sodomy law, Lawrence v. Texas, Pryor filed an amicus brief comparing homosexual sex to prostitution, adultery, necrophilia, bestiality, possession of child pornography and even incest and pedophilia. ...
Pryor even objects to the Supreme Court's well-established First Amendment jurisprudence. Discussing his decision to vigorously defend an Alabama Judge's display of the Ten Commandments in the Alabama Supreme Court building, Pryor stated that he feels "strongly that the display of the Ten Commandments . . . does not violate the First Amendment."
In fact, Pryor evidently views the entire doctrine of separation of church and state as illegitimate. In one of his speeches he posits the question, "will the Court continue to modify the errors of its case law that created the so?called wall of separation between church and state?"
His states' rights rhetoric and advocacy only goes so far, however. The limit appears to be where one would expect to find it in a politicized attorney general like Pryor - at the point where his philosophy conflicts with the goal of seeing his party obtain power: Bill Pryor also filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to grant certiorari in Bush v. Gore, arguing that Florida's Supreme Court should not have the final say in the case."
Recess appointments such as this by Bush are legal, as are the tactics of the Democrats that prevented a vote on Pryor's confirmation. Though Democrats have still been successful in preventing Pryor from being given a lifetime appointment, this temporary recess appointment is definitely a victory for Bush.
Hopefully actions like this will galvanize us away from the internal disappointments, resentments, and betrayals of the Democratic primary season and focus us on the hard job of getting Bush out of office.
The good news for Bush? Recess is not over yet! He's got 'till Monday, when Congress comes back from the President's Day break, to have more fun with judicial appointments.
