UUA Opposes Alito Appointment

This message arrived in my email today:

The Unitarian Universalist Association today announced its opposition to the confirmation of Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court. The UUA's opposition is based on concerns over civil liberties, including religious liberty, the right to privacy, and due process.

The UUA has never before opposed the confirmation of a nominee to the Supreme Court. In a statement issued to over 1000 congregations that make up the Association, the UUA's Washington Office for Advocacy Director Rob Keithan said:

"The decision to take a position on a judicial nominee is not one the UUA takes up lightly. The nomination of Judge Samuel Alito Jr. is significantly different from that of Chief Justice John Roberts or Harriet Miers, in that he has an extensive judicial record that clearly reveals his judicial philosophy on a wide range of issues. After extensive research, Unitarian Universalist Association staff agreed that Judge Alito's rulings revealed a pattern of views that were outside the mainstream and hostile to established precedent favoring civil liberties." (For a copy of Mr. Keithan's statement, see http://www.uua.org/news/2005/051212_alito/memo.html)

The Unitarian Universalist Association believes that the nation's judiciary should protect the rights of all people, regardless of gender, religion, class, sexual orientation, immigration status, or other factors. The Rev. William G. Sinkford, President of the UUA said, "Unitarian Universalists have always honored our commitment to uphold civil liberties. Protecting the freedoms that are at the heart of our democracy is for us a religious, as well as a civic, duty."

The UUA joins other religious and civil rights groups including the Union for Reform Judaism in opposing the nomination of Judge Alito. In a previous statement, Mr. Keithan said, "The Unitarian Universalist Association and our allies will continue to challenge conservative religious fundamentalists and others who claim to speak for all people of faith. There is no single religious perspective on this or any other issue. We hope that all parties involved in the nominations process, including advocacy groups and elected officials, will refrain from using religion as a political weapon. There should be no religious litmus test for judicial nominees, nor tactics that mislabel appropriate questions and concerns as 'attacking' a nominee's faith."

For full information on this story, please visit http://www.uua.org/news/2005/051212_alito/index.html.

As many of your congregations are active around civil liberties, we wanted to make sure you were aware of our very serious concerns about Judge Alito, and of the ways in which you can take action. In particular, we encourage interested groups to join a state coalition: over 20 states have Coalitions for a Fair Judiciary. Becoming a member of a state coalition is a great way to participate in actions and other community events opposing Alito. You can email grassroots@civilrights.org or call 202-296-4672 for information on coalition activity in your state.

Thanks again for your work. If you have any questions or want to know more about being involved, please let me know.

Peace,

Elizabeth Bukey
Legislative Assistant for Civil Rights and Religious Liberty
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
1320 18th St. NW, Suite 300B
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 296-4672 x22