Book Excerpts

Excerpts

Based on my record of more than forty years (a record of which I am proud), never in my wildest imaginations would I have dreamed I would be accused of being a racist – or even that subtle and nefarious euphemism “racially insensitive” – until leftist radicals used a false conservative, white, Southern stereotype to smear my reputation in their effort to send a message to President Bush.

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These groups want to expand or reinterpret the Constitution and to redefine marriage to include same-sex couples. Conversely, they want to diminish or reinterpret the Constitution to limit the rights of people of faith. They want to exclude any reference to God from the public square, from the public arena, from public discourse. They seek not separation of church and state; they want the elimination of God from our country.

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If they could not defeat me on my record, they would use symbolism to block my nomination. They wanted to create an image of a person unworthy of confirmation, so they turned my life and reputation on its head and painted me as “racially insensitive.” They used a false stereotype of a conservative, religious, white Southern judge, painting me as an unreconstructed racist. They did not care their mischaracterizations hurt race relations, were untrue, and grossly distorted my record. They wanted to block my confirmation by any means necessary. They raised the specter of the most hated symbol of racial oppression: a burning cross.

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My opponents believed their cause of protecting a “woman’s right to choose” justified smearing a nominee’s reputation, besmirching a nominee’s record, and engaging in racial demagoguery. In their style of politics, the end justifies the means. My second hearing made this all too clear. My opponents attacked on other issues, but misrepresenting the Swan case was their central assault to block my confirmation. They understood to succeed in defeating my nomination they would have to make my next hearing “nasty and contentious.” They did. It was.

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Restoring civility, respecting one another, and being decent to one another regardless of ideology, political party, and especially race, will go a long way in improving the judicial confirmation process, our government in general, and our own communities. This alone will not resolve the problems facing the judiciary – but in all reality if we succeed in civility and reconciliation we will come very close to solving the confirmation battle and the benefits to our nation will be incredible. While we seek to change our interpersonal relationships, we must also seek a change in how the Senate handles judicial confirmations.