ABA committee rates nominee Neil Gorsuch as ‘Well Qualified’
The American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary rated Supreme Court nominee Neil S. Gorsuch as “Well Qualified.” The rating was done by an independent, non-partisan committee and was based on integrity, professional competence and judicial temperament and not philosophy, political affiliation or ideology.
The review consisted of hundreds of interviews conducted around the country with persons who have personal knowledge of the nominee’s qualifications. In addition, teams of distinguished law school professors examined the nominee’s legal writings (opinions, blogs, briefs, articles, etc.) for quality, clarity, knowledge of the law and analytical ability. A national team of leading practicing lawyers with Supreme Court experience also examined the nominee’s legal writings.
The chair of the Standing Committee, in a letter, reported the committee’s rating to the White House, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the nominee. The rating also is posted on the committee’s website for the public record. The committee will submit a written statement explaining its rating to the Senate Judiciary Committee. It will become public record during the hearing.
2017 Peter Pettalia Memorial Sunshine Award Winners Announced by MPA
The Michigan Press Association announced a name change for the annual award honoring Michigan legislators for supporting transparency in Government. From now on, the award will be called the “Peter Pettalia Memorial Sunshine Award.” The name change is a nod of respect to former legislator Rep. Peter Pettalia who was killed in a motorcycle accident last fall. Rep. Pettalia was a vocal advocate for newspapers and open government and one of the first recipients of the award.
The following legislators have been chosen as this year’s recipients:
Representative Jim Tedder (R-Clarkston) a second term Representative has been a strong supporter of open government and transparency as well as journalism during his career in Lansing. He is a co-sponsor of a package of bills moving through the House which would remove FOIA exemptions from the governor’s office and the legislature.
Representative Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield) who is also serving his second term has been a proponent of open records, government accountability and available citizen information throughout his years in the House.
Senator Rick Jones (R-Grand Ledge), a second term Senator who supports the First Amendment and sponsored the “student free press and civics readiness act” last year which would provide protections for student journalists. He will be reintroducing the bill this session.
These individuals continuously demonstrate their belief that government transparency is important to a strong democracy.
The 2017 Peter Pettalia Sunshine Awards will be presented to these legislators by Chairman Milliman this spring.
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