For Immediate Release
April 1, 2004

Contact:
Sara Zdeb, Legislative Director, 202-222-0728
Keira Costic, Press Office, 202-222-0731

Statement of Sara Zdeb, Legislative Director, on the Nomination of William Myers

Washington , DC —The Senate Judiciary Committee today voted on the nomination of William Myers to a lifetime seat on the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals.  Myers is a former cattle industry lobbyist whose recent tenure as the Interior Department’s top lawyer was plagued by ethical concerns, and his nomination faces an uncertain fate on the Senate floor because of widespread opposition.  Below is a statement from Sara Zdeb, legislative director for Friends of the Earth:

“During the past three years, the Bush administration has staffed top environmental posts with lobbyists for the industries our natural resource agencies are supposed to oversee.  The Senate should slam this revolving door shut before William Myers uses the federal bench to advance his extreme anti-environmental agenda.” 

“Based on his record, it’s clear that William Myers lacks the one quality that is essential for a judge to possess: impartiality.  His record of welcoming industry input with open arms while ignoring environmentalists makes Myers singularly unfit for the 9^th Circuit, which encompasses 500 million acres of treasured public lands.”

“Today, Democratic senators took an important step toward safeguarding the integrity of our federal judiciary by voting against the Myers nomination.  While the committee narrowly approved his nomination, we’re confident that pro-environment senators will be able to block his nomination on the floor.”

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