Judges

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http://www.mittromney.com/News/Press-Releases/Constitution_Courts_Additions

GOVERNOR ROMNEY ANNOUNCES ADDITIONS TO THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON THE CONSTITUTION AND THE COURTS

Boston, MA – Today, Governor Mitt Romney announced new additions to the Romney for President Advisory Committee on the Constitution and the Courts. This group, chaired by Professor Douglas W. Kmiec, former constitutional legal counsel to President Ronald Reagan, has been advising Governor Romney on the important legal issues confronting the country today.

Joining Romney for President after having served as National Co-Chair of Lawyers for Fred Thompson, Victoria Toensing said, "Appointing strong judges is one of our President's most important responsibilities. The next President will make a number of appointments, and I am confident Governor Romney will nominate judges in the mold of President Bush's nominees, Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito. I am proud to work with Governor Romney and this outstanding group of legal minds."

Also joining the Advisory committee from Lawyers for Fred Thompson are Lizette D. Benedi, Rachel L. Brand, Reginald Brown, Charles J. Cooper, Joseph E. diGenova, Michael R. Dimino, Viet D. Dinh, Noel J. Francisco and Eileen J. O'Connor.

Eugene Scalia, who served in the administrations of Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush, has also joined the committee. "Governor Romney has the ability, experience, and values to serve as an exceptional President," he said. "He appreciates the role of the courts and rule of law in our society."

Making today's announcement, Governor Romney said, "It is an honor to have the counsel of so many distinguished men and women. Together, they represent years of experience in the legal field and their help to this campaign will be invaluable."

Governor Romney also announced that Victoria Toensing and Joseph diGenova will serve on the Steering Committee of Lawyers for Romney in addition to their roles on the Advisory Committee.

New Members Of The Advisory Committee On The Constitution And The Courts:

Lizette D. Benedi – Counsel, Bancroft Associates; Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs, United States Department of Justice, for President George W. Bush; Lawyers for Fred National Steering Committee.

James F. Blackstock – Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Shoney's Restaurant Company; Former Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, CBRL Group, Inc.

Rachel L. Brand – Former Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Policy, United States Department of Justice, for President George W. Bush; Former Law Clerk, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, Supreme Court of the United States; Lawyers for Fred National Steering Committee.

Reginald J. Brown – Partner, WilmerHale; Former Special Assistant to the President and Associate White House Counsel to President George W. Bush; Former Deputy General Counsel to Florida Governor Jeb Bush; Lawyers for Fred National Steering Committee.

Daniel Collins – Partner, Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP; Former Associate Deputy Attorney General, Office of the Deputy Attorney General, United States Department of Justice, for President George W. Bush; Former Law Clerk, Justice Antonin Scalia, Supreme Court of the United States; Former Assistant U.S. Attorney, Central District of California; Former Attorney Advisor, Office of Legal Counsel, United States Department of Justice; Lawyers for Fred California Co-Chair.

Charles J. Cooper – Partner, Cooper & Kirk, PLLC; Former Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel, United States Department of Justice, for President Ronald Reagan; Former Law Clerk, then-Justice William H. Rehnquist, Supreme Court of the United States; Lawyers for Fred National Steering Committee.

Professor George Dent – Schott-van den Eynden Professor, Case Western Law School; Director, National Association of Scholars; President, Ohio Association of Scholars; Former Law Clerk, Judge Paul R. Hays, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Joseph E. diGenova – Partner, diGenova & Toensing; Former Chief Counsel and Staff Director, Senate Rules Committee; Former Counsel, Senate Judiciary, Governmental Affairs and Select Intelligence Committees; Former United States Attorney, District of Columbia; Lawyers for Fred Maryland Chair.

Professor Michael R. Dimino – Associate Professor of Law, Widener Law School; Former Chief Clerk, Judge Albert M. Rosenblatt, New York State Court of Appeals; Former Law Clerk, Judge Laurence H. Silberman, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit; Former Law Clerk, Judge Paul L. Friedman, United States District Court for the District of Columbia; Lawyers for Fred Pennsylvania Co-Chair and Legal Professors Committee.

Viet D. Dinh – Principal, Bancroft Associates; Professor of Law and Co-Director of Asian Law & Policy Studies, Georgetown University Law Center; Former Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Policy, United States Department of Justice, for President George W. Bush; Former Law Clerk, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Supreme Court of the United States; Lawyers for Fred National Steering Committee.

Noel J. Francisco – Partner, Jones Day; Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel, United States Department of Justice, for President George W. Bush; Former Law Clerk, Justice Antonin Scalia, Supreme Court of the United States; Lawyers for Fred Steering Committee.

Professor Jimmy Gurule – Professor, Notre Dame Law School; Former Undersecretary for Enforcement, United States Department of Treasury, for President George W. Bush; Former Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs, United States Department of Justice, for President George H.W. Bush.

Richard D. Klingler – Partner, Sidley Austin LLP; Former Senior Associate White House Counsel to President George W. Bush; Former General Counsel and Legal Adviser, National Security Council; Former Law Clerk to Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Supreme Court of the United States, and to Judge Kenneth W. Starr, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Professor Grant S. Nelson – William H. Rehnquist Professor of Law, Pepperdine University; Former Commissioner, National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws.

Eileen J. O'Connor – Partner, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP; Former Assistant Attorney General, Tax Division, United States Department of Justice, for President George W. Bush; Lawyers for Fred National Steering Committee.

Thomas R. Phillips – Partner, Baker Botts; Former Chief Justice, Texas Supreme Court; Former President, Conference of Chief Justices.

Eugene Scalia – Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; Former Solicitor of Labor, United States Department of Labor; Former Special Assistant, United States Attorney General William P. Barr; Former Aide, United States Education Secretary William J. Bennett.

Victoria Toensing – Partner, diGenova & Toensing; Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division, United States Department of Justice, for President Ronald Reagan; Former Chief Counsel, United States Senator Barry Goldwater; National Co-Chair of Lawyers for Fred National Steering Committee.

Previously Announced Members Of The Advisory Committee On The Constitution And The Courts:

Committee Chair Douglas W. Kmiec – Caruso Family Chair & Professor of Constitutional Law, Pepperdine University; Former Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice.

Bradford A. Berenson – Partner, Sidley Austin LLP; Former Associate White House Counsel to President George W. Bush; Former Law Clerk to Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, Supreme Court of the United States and Judge Laurence H. Silberman, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit; Chairman, The Federalist Society, Executive Committee of the Criminal Law and Procedure Practice Group.

Elliot S. Berke – General Counsel, Barbour Griffith & Rogers and Of Counsel, McGahn & Associates; Former Counsel to the Speaker of the House; Former General Counsel to the House Majority Leader.

Michelle Boardman – Assistant Professor, George Mason School of Law; Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice, for President George W. Bush.

James Bopp, Jr. – Partner, Bopp, Coleson & Bostrom; General Counsel for the James Madison Center for Free Speech; Special Adviser on Life Issues to Governor Mitt Romney.

Jamie Brown – Principal, Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti; Former Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs and Acting Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice, for President George W. Bush.

Allen Ferrell – Greenfield Professor of Securities Law, Harvard Law School; Former Law Clerk to Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, Supreme Court of the United States and Judge Laurence Silberman, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

D. Cameron Findlay – Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Aon Corporation; Former Deputy Secretary of Labor for President George W. Bush; Deputy Assistant to President George H. W. Bush; Former Law Clerk to Justice Antonin G. Scalia, Supreme Court of the United States.

Timothy Flanigan – Former General Counsel, Corporate and International Law, Tyco International; Former Deputy White House Counsel to President George W. Bush; Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice, for President George H.W. Bush; Former Law Clerk, Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, Supreme Court of the United States.

Tom Gede – Principal, Bingham Consulting Group; Former Executive Director, Conference of Western Attorneys General; Former Deputy Attorney General, California Attorney General's Office.

Allyson Ho – Associate, Baker Botts; Former Special Assistant to President George W. Bush and Counselor to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft; Former Law Clerk, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Supreme Court of the United States.

James Huffman – Erskine Wood Sr. Professor of Law (and former Dean), Lewis & Clark Law School; Former Chairman, The Federalist Society, Executive Committee of the Environment and Property Rights Practice Group.

Jay Jorgensen – Partner, Sidley Austin LLP; Former Law Clerk, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, Supreme Court of the United States, and then-Judge Samuel Alito, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Christopher Landau – Partner and Head of the Appellate Litigation Practice Group, Kirkland & Ellis LLP; Former Law Clerk, Justices Antonin G. Scalia and Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court of the United States.

David G. Leitch – General Counsel, Ford Motor Company; Former Deputy White House Counsel to President George W. Bush; Former Law Clerk, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, Supreme Court of the United States.

Wendy Long – Chief Counsel, Judicial Confirmation Network; Former Law Clerk, Justice Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court of the United States.

Gary L. McDowell – Tyler Haynes Professor of Leadership Studies, Political Science, and Law in the Jepson School of Leadership Studies, University of Richmond; Former Chief Speech Writer to Former Attorney General Edwin Meese III.

Mark D. Nielsen – Vice President, Legal, Raytheon Corporation; Former Chief of Staff and Chief Legal Counsel to Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

Howard C. Nielson, Jr. – Of Counsel, Cooper & Kirk; Former Counsel to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft; Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice, for President George W. Bush; Former Law Clerk, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, Supreme Court of the United States, and former Judge J. Michael Luttig, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Stephen Presser – Raoul Berger Professor of Legal History, Northwestern University School of Law.

Kristi Remington – Principal, Blank Rome Government Relations LLC; Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Policy, U.S. Department of Justice, for President George W. Bush.

Gene Schaerr – Partner and Chair of the Nationwide Appellate Litigation Group, Winston & Strawn LLP; Former Associate White House Counsel to President George H. W. Bush; Former Law Clerk, Chief Justice Warren Burger and Justice Antonin G. Scalia, Supreme Court of the United States, and to former Judge Kenneth W. Starr, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit; Chairman, Constitutional Sources Project.

Jay Sekulow – Constitutional Law and Supreme Court Advocate.

Bradley A. Smith – Professor of Law, Capital University Law; Of Counsel, Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease; Former Chairman, Federal Election Commission.

Matthew Spalding – Director of the B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies, The Heritage Foundation.

Jay B. Stephens – Senior Vice President & General Counsel, Raytheon Company; Former Deputy White House Counsel to President Ronald Reagan; Former Associate Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, for President George W. Bush; Former United States Attorney for the District Of Columbia for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

Richard K. Willard – Partner, Steptoe & Johnson LLP; Former Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division, U.S. Department of Justice, for President Ronald Reagan; Former Law Clerk, Justice Harry Blackmun, Supreme Court of the United States, and then-Judge Anthony M. Kennedy, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

*Organization names are listed for identification purposes only and should not be construed as endorsements by such organizations.

Governor Romney On Judges

Governor Mitt Romney and Judges

I think Governor Mitt Romney's "Judicial" record is one of the important issues heading into 2008. I would like to gather a comprehensive list of all his Judicial comments and actions. Mitt Romney will appoint some very good judges, from his Record in Mass. He has a law degree from Harvard, and he knows what is going on.

Please help me if you think I should add anything to this list!

Quotes from Mitt Romney on Judges

“Right now we have a funding mechanism for the district courts that splits the Commonwealth into two – the Boston Municipal Court and the remaining district courts in the state – and the Boston Municipal Court receives vastly more resources than the other district courts,” said Romney. Source: 05-13-2003 Press Release

“While I applaud the Legislature for recognizing the need to reform our court system, I urge them to take a closer look at merging the Boston Municipal Court with the rest of the district court system. It makes sense and it saves millions of dollars. It is time for action, not more studies,” Romney said. Source: 05-13-2003 Press Release

“Worcester and other communities are getting shortchanged when it comes to the administration of justice,” Romney said. “That is wrong.” Source: 05-13-2003 Press Release

“Clearly, it is time for us to have a uniform and equitable system of justice for all of the Commonwealth’s residents,” said Romney. Source: 05-13-2003 Press Release

Romney added, “Our judicial system is in desperate need of overhaul and restructuring. These common sense changes are the first steps in that process.” Source: 05-13-2003 Press Release

“The Massachusetts Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to judges as 'free, impartial and independent as the lot of humanity will admit.' Those words were penned by John Adams, and they are the basis not only for our state courts, but for the federal judiciary as prescribed by the U.S. Constitution,” said Romney. Source: 02-11-2003 Press Release

He added, “It is time to renew our commitment to those words. Massachusetts was a trailblazer for judicial integrity in John Adams' day and it can be a trailblazer for the same integrity in our day as well.” Source: 02-11-2003 Press Release

“It is my aim today with this Executive Order to shine a spotlight on the way judges are appointed to the bench,” said Romney. “The citizens of Massachusetts deserve to have a squeaky clean process that has no room for politics and favors.” Source: 02-11-2003 Press Release

“I am proud to submit the names of these outstanding individuals for consideration by the Governor’s Council,” Romney said. Source: 12- 03-2003 Press Release

He added, “For the last several months, we have successfully focused on reforming the old way of appointing judges and replaced it with a non-partisan and merit-based process. This new system – free from patronage, politics and favoritism – has yielded the highest caliber individuals for these positions.” Source: 12- 03-2003 Press Release

“As I was making this appointment, prosecutorial qualifications and public safety were paramount in my mind,” Romney said. “But, it was also my goal to provide continuity so as not to jeopardize ongoing prosecutions in the office. David Capeless’s familiarity with the office and its demands, as well as his relationship with his colleagues, will ensure a seamless transition.” Source: 03-04-2004 Press Release

2003

05-13-2003, ROMNEY CALLS FOR AN END TO JUDICIAL INEQUITY AND WASTE

02-11-2003, ROMNEY OVERHAULS JUDICIAL NOMINATING PROCESS

12- 03-2003, BLIND REVIEW PROCESS YIELDS ROMNEYS FIRST JUDICIAL PICKS

2004

12-08-2004, ROMNEY NOMINATES HINKLE, BOLDEN TO DISTRICT COURT

12-01-2004, ROMNEY NOMINATES JUDGE DANIEL OSHEA TO DISTRICT COURT

11-03-2004, ROMNEY NOMINATES JUDGE CONNORS TO SUPERIOR COURT

10-27-2004, ROMNEY NOMINATES BRUCE HENRY TO SUPERIOR COURT

10-20- 2004, ROMNEY NOMINATES JUDGE ROBERT C. RUFO TO SUPERIOR COURT

10-13-2004, ROMNEY NOMINATES MURTAGH, GAZIANO TO SUPERIOR COURT

10-06-2004, ROMNEY NOMINATES MACDONALD, MCINTYRE FOR SUPERIOR COURT

09-24-2004, ROMNEY APPOINTS MARK D. NIELSEN AS NEW CHIEF LEGAL COUNSEL

07-21-2004, ROMNEY NOMINATES KATZMANN TO APPEALS COURT

07-21- 2004, ROMNEY NOMINATES JUDGE GRAHAM TO APPEALS COURT

04-14-2004, ROMNEY NOMINATES HALEY TO DUDLEY DISTRICT COURT

03-04-2004, ROMNEY SWEARS IN CAPELESS AS BERKSHIRE COUNTY D.A.

02- 25-2004, ROMNEY NOMINATES RICCIARDONE TO WORCESTER DISTRICT COURT

2005

04-13-2005, ROMNEY NOMINATES TRIO TO JUDICIARY

07-13-2005, ROMNEY NOMINATES TRIO TO JUDICIARY

07-20-2005-, ROMNEY NOMINATES RENEE P. DUPUIS AS JUVENILE COURT JUSTICE

11-23-2005, ROMNEY NOMINATES ARIANE D. VUONO TO APPEALS COURT

11-23-2005=, ROMNEY NOMINATES JAMES J. TORNEY AS JUVENILE COURT JUSTICE

07- 26-2006, ROMNEY TABS PHILLIP RAPOZA AS CHIEF OF APPEALS COURT

2006

“Clearly, having an individual who is committed to interpreting the law, interpreting the Constitution and not creating law is essential.”

“People, they’re saying “well let’s have a pro-choice Supreme Court nominee.” Don’t forget that we elected George W. Bush. He’s a pro-life president. He ran as a pro-life president. And he, therefore, has every right to nominate someone who has his beliefs.”

–Source: Interview with Hugh Hewitt (July 2005)