For Justice, Dems Must Win the White House in 2008

Much has been made of recent polling data which suggest a substantial number of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama supporters will stay home or vote for John McCain if their favored candidate does not win the Democratic nomination.  While I think those polls are meaningless this far out from the election, I do think it's important to impress upon anyone so inclined to stay home or vote McCain the importance of getting behind the Democratic nominee, whomever it is.

One of the biggest motivations to support the nominee is the makeup of the federal courts.  While most people focus on to the U.S. Supreme Court -- understandably so when one considers the symbolism and finality of its rulings -- I think more attention should be given to who gets on the federal district courts and the courts of appeal. 

If you believe that a President McCain will appoint people to the federal bench who are similar to those installed by President George W. Bush -- and, given that McCain is more conservative than Bush (admittedly a distinction without much of a difference) -- then read Silja J.A. Talvi's article on Gustavus Adolphus "Gus" Puryear IV, a 39-year-old blue blood awaiting confirmation for a lifetime appointment to the federal bench.  Puryear is the wealthy general counsel of Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), the notorious private prison operator.  A Black woman, Estelle Richardson, was beaten to death in a CCA facility so viciously that the medical examiner who oversaw the autopsy likened her injuries to those seen in a fall from a car accident.  Puryear led the CCA's defense and his appointment will result in an inside man serving on the bench there to defend CCA and other such prison-industrial complex profiteers.

According to the story,

Under Puryear's direction, a bevy of outside lawyers was already hard at work so as to minimize the damage to CCA. Medical experts were brought in to challenge chief medical examiner Dr. Bruce Levy's original autopsy conclusions about the injuries indicating that she had been murdered, who reported that her fatal injuries were several days old and thus could have been self-inflicted or caused by earlier fights with prisoners. CCA's hired pathologist, Dr. William McCormick, went so far as to postulate that the "cause of the rib and liver injuries is almost certainly the resuscitative attempts made on Ms. Richardson."

So, if you're a Clinton supporter who won't vote for Obama or an Obama supporter who won't vote for Clinton or if you don't think it matters who wins the presidency because nominations to the federal bench aren't that big of a deal, then click here to be re-educated.

So Mr. McCain, where do you stand on the confirmation of Gustavus Adolphus "Gus" Puryear, IV?

 

N.B. The opposition to Puryear's nomination is getting organized and likely to be a factor in the nomination fight.  Puryear's qualifications are scant at best.  Stay tuned.