PETITION CLOSED

  • The time period for signing this petition has ended.
  1. Signatures
    2 out of 100
    Petitioning
    1. The U.S. Senate
  2. Created By
    Keith Kamisugi
    San Francisco, CA
About this Petition Petition Letter

*** Immediate Action Needed ***

CALL SENATOR FEINSTEIN AND TELL HER NO ON SOUTHWICK!

Visit http://NoSouthwick.com
to see our YouTube videos, sign our online petition and
get involved in stopping Southwick

*** No more extremist judges on the federal bench! ***

Senator Feinstein's Offices:
Washington, D.C.: (202) 224-3841
San Francisco: (415) 393-0707
Los Angeles: (310) 914-7300
San Diego: (619) 231-1108

Senator Dianne Feinstein voted in favor of extremist judicial nominee Leslie Southwick, saying that nominees are "not just a collection of prior writings or prior judicial opinions" even though Southwick has:

* An abysmal record on racial discrimination issues
* Expressed a willingness to discriminate against gays and lesbians
* The worst record of his Mississippi Court of Appeals peers when it comes to workers rights

Urge Feinstein to vote against Southwick in the full Senate because of his clearly demonstrated judicial extremism. The full Senate vote may take place the week of Oct. 15 so we need your help now!

As a state appellate judge, Leslie Southwick had an abysmal record on racial discrimination issues. For example, he ruled to reinstate a white employee who had been fired for calling an African-American coworker "a good ole [‘n’ word]."

Southwick also routinely ruled against defense claims that prosecutors rejected African American jurors based on race; while at the same time, he has usually upheld allegations of race discrimination when prosecutors claim that the defense has rejected white jurors.

Southwick has also expressed a willingness to discriminate against gays and lesbians. In ruling to remove a child from the custody of her bisexual mother, he joined an anti-gay opinion that argued the "choice" to engage in homosexuality comes with consequences, up to and including the consideration of "the homosexual lifestyle" as a determining factor in child custody cases.

Finally, Southwick has the worst record of all judges on the Mississippi Court of Appeals when it comes to the rights of workers and victims of personal injury. In 160 of 180 divided published decisions, Southwick's rulings have favored business and insurance interests over injured parties.

Justice Alito and Chief Justice Roberts both promised in Senate Confirmation hearings that their history of extremist decisions would be tempered by moderation and judicial restraint. However, just as we feared, these justices remained true to their pre-nomination ideology and in case after case pushed a conservative, reactionary agenda that caused serious cutbacks in employment discrimination law, reproductive freedom, and most recently, voluntary racial integration plans.

CALL SENATOR FEINSTEIN TODAY AND URGE HER TO VOTE AGAINST
THE CONFIRMATION OF LESLIE SOUTHWICK!

It only takes minutes. All you need to do is call and tell her office that you urge the Senator to vote against the confirmation of Leslie Southwick. They ask for your zip code and you are done.

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein
Washington, D.C.: (202) 224-3841 / San Francisco: (415) 393-0707
Los Angeles: (310) 914-7300 / San Diego: (619) 231-1108
http://feinstein.senate.gov

Visit http://NoSouthwick.com
to see our YouTube videos, sign our online petition and
get involved in stopping Southwick

The Californians for Fair and Independent Judges is a coalition of more than 50 organizations working to protect the independence of the federal courts. Our member organizations represent a wide spectrum of communities and causes: environmental, civil rights, civil liberties, reproductive rights, faith based, ethnic, labor, disability, gay rights, seniors, and women’s communities.

Recent Signatures

Vote NO on Leslie Southwick

Sincerely,

Senator Feinstein: <br /> <br />We urge you to vote against the confirmation of Judge Leslie Southwick to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. <br /> <br />The Fifth Circuit has more residents of color than any other circuit and frequently hears critical civil rights cases. It is especially important, therefore, that a nominee to this court has an unwavering commitment to equal justice and a willingness to protect the rights women, LGBT, people of color, workers and consumers. <br /> <br />Instead, Judge Southwick has compiled a stark and lengthy record of rejecting the claims of people of color and siding with business interests against workers and consumers. <br /> <br />Judge Southwick was criticized by a member of his own court in Mississippi for having a double standard in cases involving racial discrimination in jury selection. And, in one especially egregious case, Judge Southwick trivialized an employee&#39;s use of the &quot;n&quot; word in the workplace and voted to reinstate her employment. <br /> <br />Moreover, Judge Southwick has an 89 percent record of voting against workers, consumers and other victims in divided decisions. In 160 out of 180 published decisions involving state employment law and torts cases in which at least two judges dissented, Judge Southwick voted against the injured party and in favor of business interests, such as corporations or insurance companies. <br /> <br />At his confirmation hearing, Senator Durbin (D-Il) asked Judge Southwick to give an example of a time when he&#39;d made an unpopular decision in favor of &quot;the little guy&quot; -- a poor person, a person of color, or someone who had turned to the courts for help. Judge Southwick couldn&#39;t name a single one. <br /> <br />While on the Mississippi Court of Appeals, Judge Southwick not only joined the majority ruling that took custody of an eight year-old girl away from her bisexual mother, but he also went out of his way to join a concurrence that went further than the majority opinion. It stated that the &quot;choice&quot; to engage in homosexuality comes with consequences, up to and including the consideration of &quot;the homosexual lifestyle&quot; as a determining factor in child custody cases. No other judge joined this remarkably homophobic concurrence. <br /> <br />At his hearing, senators questioned Judge Southwick extensively about the case, but he refused to distance himself from the opinion. Senator Whitehouse asked why Judge Southwick felt the need to subscribe to this superfluous concurring opinion that used &quot;unnecessary terminology.&quot; Judge Southwick responded that the concurring opinion better stated the &quot;public policy in Mississippi at the time regarding homosexuality.&quot; <br /> <br />Do not confirm Judge Southwick. He has not shown himself to be the kind of judge fit for a lifetime seat on the federal bench.

[Your name]

Press Inquiries