Why 27 liberal groups are fighting Obama's judge nomination
Twenty-seven liberal groups are strongly opposed to Michael Boggs serving on the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. The groups cited Boggs' positions on abortion, the Confederate flag, and LGBT rights.
President Barack Obama speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Liberal groups are fighting his judicial nomination in Georgia.
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File
Washington
Twenty-seven liberal groups are pressuring Senate Democrats to reject one of President Barack Obama's judicial nominees.
In a letter on Thursday, the groups expressed their strong opposition to Michael Boggs serving on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, citing his record as a state legislator from 2001 through 2004. Boggs is currently a judge on the Court of Appeals of Georgia.
"During his time as a legislator in the Georgia General Assembly, Boggs demonstrated a troubling lack of concern for individuals whose experience and personal history differ from his own, creating a record that lacks a demonstrated commitment to fairness and equal justice with respect to issues of reproductive freedom, civil rights, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality," the groups wrote to the 10 Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Among the organizations signing the letter were NARAL Pro-Choice America, the National Organization for Women and the Human Rights Campaign, one of the most powerful gay rights groups.
The groups cited Boggs' support for legislation on parental notification in cases of abortion with no exception for instances of rape or incest. They also pointed to his vote for keeping the Confederate battle emblem on the state flag.
The groups urged the committee's 10 Democrats to oppose Boggs' confirmation.
"We believe that Boggs' record on reproductive rights, civil rights, and LGBT rights is especially troubling in a nominee to the federal bench," the groups said. "Litigants in Georgia, and the nation as a whole, deserve a judge whose commitment to equal justice is clear."
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the administration had not seen the letter. He declined to comment on whether the president would select another nominee for the judgeship.
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