ACLJ Calls on Senate to Give Alabama Attorney General Bill Pryor Fair Hearing for Seat on Federal Appeals Court.

Business Editors

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 9, 2003

The American Center for Law and Justice, an international public interest law firm specializing in constitutional law, today called on the U.S. Senate to give Alabama Attorney General Bill Pryor full and fair consideration at a hearing on Wednesday for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

"Bill Pryor is an exceptional nominee who will serve with distinction on the appeals court," said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ. "He is extremely bright, experienced and committed to ensuring that the constitution and the rule of law will be protected and faithfully applied. Bill Pryor deserves a full and fair hearing in the Senate. While he has the votes to clear the Judiciary Committee, he must not become the next victim of a troubling strategy - the use of a filibuster - designed to deny nominees a simple up-or-down vote on the Senate floor. The Senate should put its constitutional responsibilities ahead of its political priorities and not permit a minority of Senators to derail a confirmation process that must move forward without further delay."

Pryor is scheduled to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday for a hearing on his nomination by President Bush to the 11th circuit.

Sekulow said Pryor did an outstanding job in a case that garnered national attention a few years ago involving student-led prayer in school.

"This was a very difficult case that took more than five years to litigate and was taken to the U.S. Supreme Court on two separate occasions. Ultimately, the Supreme Court in 2001 let stand a federal appeals court decision upholding the constitutionality of student-led and student-initiated religious speech in Alabama schools. I was privileged to assist Attorney General Pryor in a case that not only upheld the constitution, but resulted in an important First Amendment victory for the students of Alabama," said Sekulow, who was appointed by Pryor to serve as Deputy Attorney General for Alabama in the student prayer case.

Sekulow said the ACLJ is contacting more than 500,000 of its members this week by e-mail asking them to contact their Senators to urge them to support the Pryor nomination.

At the same time, the ACLJ has heard from 40,000 people in the past few weeks that have signed a petition urging the Senate to act immediately to end the filibusters, which are preventing an up-or-down vote on several judicial nominees. In a report presented to the Senate last month, the ACLJ concluded that a simple majority in the Senate - 51 Senators - could act immediately and constitutionally to end the current filibusters and call for a full vote on the Senate floor for Miguel Estrada and Priscilla Owen. The report is posted at www.aclj.org. The Senate Rules Committee last week held a hearing to discuss that alternative and other options available to moving the confirmation process forward.

The American Center for Law and Justice is an international public interest law firm specializing in constitutional law based in Washington, D.C. The ACLJ web site address is www.aclj.org.