Wm. J. Haynes II nominated to Judge 4th Circuit. 2nd hearing tomorrow!

[napi21]

Bush appeals court nominee William J. Haynes, II is many things – most notably, a key architect of the administration’s torture, ‘enemy combatant’ and military tribunal policies, and an important ally in Dick Cheney’s pursuit of expansive executive power. One thing he is not – thanks, in part, to the 37,000 PFAW activists who rose up against his nomination in 2004 – is a judge on the influential 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.

But the Rove-Cheney machine is making another run with Haynes, hoping that the white noise of election-year security messaging will help the nomination sail though. They, of course, are also hoping that the audacity of the Haynes nomination impresses their right-wing base. Dutifully, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) is pushing Haynes' nomination in the Senate again, with the Senate Judiciary Committee set to hold a hearing on Haynes for a second time tomorrow.

This is an insult to the nation – especially after the Supreme Court’s recent ruling against the excessive Bush executive power grab on Guantanamo. We not only have to stop this nomination again, but those who are pushing it need to feel public rebuke.

If you are familiar with William Haynes, you know he’s considered by many to be the poster boy for the administration’s torture policies. But did you also know that he is a Dick Cheney crony? A recent report in The New Yorker exposes an agenda-driven inner circle of which Haynes was a part and paints a picture of the man that goes beyond his disturbing view of the law, raising serious questions about his character.

According to the article, Haynes colluded with his mentor, David Addington in the vice president’s office (now Cheney’s chief of staff), to develop policies that have since disgraced our country, and then relied on his close friend John Yoo in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel to help defend and justify them. Perhaps the most disturbing allegation described in the report is Haynes’ deception of the Navy’s general counsel (now retired), who demanded greater oversight of what he thought were illegal operations at Guantanamo, in order to silence his protests.

William Haynes has already done great damage to our country; while he might belong in a courtroom, it shouldn’t be as a judge.

Don’t let Frist, Rove and Cheney get away with this outrageous move – turn on the public spotlight. Just click on our resource center to find useful facts to write a letter, call into talk radio shows, and share with your friends. If your local media and newspapers aren’t talking about the Haynes nomination, ask them why – and tell them to start now!

If Haynes passes through committee (where PFAW and activists in Senate Judiciary Committee states are hard at work), we will give you ways to lobby Sen. Chamblissand Sen. Isakson to defeat the Haynes nomination on the Senate floor.

http://www.pfaw.org/go/HaynesAction

Together, we can defeat the Haynes nomination once and for all and score a major victory for civil liberties and for justice.

-- Your Allies at People For the American Way

P.S. Want to do more? Support our ongoing campaign to protect your constitutional rights by keeping people like William Haynes off the federal bench. Make a secure online contribution today.
http://www.pfaw.org/go/contribute


(I know this is more than 4 paragraphs, but it ws sent to me as an email, so shouldn't be subject to copyright laws.)

[KoKo]

1. What if Bush does a Recess Appointment with him...can he?

Do his powers apply to Circuit Court Judges?

Thanks for this post. Haynes is one of the worst ones and needs to be stopped.

[napi21]

2. I don't know. With the way Shrub acts, I'm sure he could!

I'm just surprised that I didn't hear ANYTHING about this until today! Don't we usually hear about proposed judges more than ONE DAY away from their hearing? That bothers me!