Smith, a Republican, also is supported by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., who endorsed his nomination in a letter to the White House last year. Boxer called Smith a highly respected lawyer who is "widely supported by his peers and colleagues and would make an excellent addition" to the 9th Circuit.
Smith's tenure on the employment panel is best remembered by his departure. He resigned from the panel in 1991 after then-Gov. Pete Wilson vetoed a bill that would have given the commission power to award compensation to victims of sexual harassment.
Smith said his resignation -- and numerous public appearances promoting the bill -- helped spur the California Legislature to pass the bill again the next year. That time Wilson signed it.
"I did it a a matter of honor," Smith said of his resignation. "I felt there was no point if women are being sexually harassed but there's no damages."
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hmmm... preliminarily, it seems like a poor choice.
hmmm... preliminarily, it seems like a poor choice.
Yeah, the Boxer endorsement should have been enough to convince Bush to deep 6 this nomination. Then again the 9th Circus is so leftist, that even a moderate liberal will move the court drastically to the right. But I guess we'll have to see. The decision itself about sex harrassment money didn't seem so bad to me. Afterall, we nailed Bill Clinton to the tune of nearly $1 million on that one! I just worry about what Boxer the extremist saw in this nomination that caused the obstructionist witch to support it.
Either that, or Boxer has made a deal behind Bush's back that guarantees that the nomination dies in committee, while she saps conservative support by publicly supporting Smith.