Posted on 03/13/2006 12:30:47 PM PST by EternalVigilance
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor used a speech at Georgetown University to attack pro-life lawmakers who sided with Terri Schiavo's parents in their efforts to prevent their daughter's euthanasia death. She claimed a Congressional effort to have federal courts review the case was a first step towards a dictatorship.
O'Connor, who backs abortion, announced her retirement last year and was recently replaced by federal appeals court judge Samuel Alito, who pro-life advocates hope will be more open to upholding laws that protect the right to life.
"We must be ever-vigilant against those who would strong-arm the judiciary," she said of the pro-Terri Schiavo lawmakers.
"It takes a lot of degeneration before a country falls into dictatorship, but we should avoid these ends by avoiding these beginnings," O'Connor said, pointing to Communist countries and autocracies around the world.
After a local Florida judge reaffirmed his decision to allow Terri's former husband to take her life, some pro-life lawmakers said it may be appropriate to impeach such judges.
According to a London Guardian news report, O'Connor responded and said that such comments "pose a direct threat to our constitutional freedom."
"I want you to tune your ears to these attacks," she told the law students in attendance. "You have an obligation to speak up."
"Statutes and constitutions do not protect judicial independence -- people do," she added.
O'Connor also said that some Republican lawmakers are contributing to a climate of violence against judges by using harsh language to denounce certain decisions.
She was specifically referring to pro-life Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, who, after a judge was shot and killed in an Atlanta courtroom, said some judicial decisions may be prompting violent reactions.
yup. a dictatorship of life.
Some of us think that's a hell of a lot closer to dictatorship than allowing the parents to lovingly take care of the woman, you "international law" loving witch!
Boy! Now that she's out of work the old judge's mouth is like a loose cannon on a heaving deck.
Whoa! Watch out! Here she comes by for another pass!
Guess she missed the part of the Constitution that allows for the impeachment of out-of-control judges.
That is, if she ever read it...
She was, and is an ass. You should read some of her decisions and attempt to comprehend them. Talk about convoluted logic.
Killing the defenseless is one of her specialties.
To her, it's "dictatorship" to protect the lives of the defenseless.
What a pathetic excuse for a human being, must less a judge.
No wonder liberals loved her.
I wonder if Sandy's sick husband has put his wishes into writing.
I'm so glad O'Connor's no longer on the bench. Now that she's free to speak publicly, we're going to hear more of her confused and contradictory thinking.
She's off the Supreme Court, but she oculd sit on another federal court. See here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1595109/posts
Good riddance, Judge O'Connor. You will NOT be missed.
She seems to be pretty loose with the dictatorship word. It makes me wonder if she's taking the path of Carter. Speaking out now that she can and not being responsible for the consequences.
While O'Connor backs abortion, she refuses to endorse or back the US Constitution. Something wrong with this picture....
"After a local Florida judge reaffirmed his decision to allow Terri's former husband to take her life, some pro-life lawmakers said it may be appropriate to impeach such judges.
According to a London Guardian news report, O'Connor responded and said that such comments "pose a direct threat to our constitutional freedom."
Shut up and croak.
This woman is dangerous. I wonder if the remaining Justices will cut loose on her. Is she senile or early stages of alzheimers????
Somebody tell her to go back to Arizona and shut her pie hole. We had enough O'Conner foolishness while she was on the court.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.