The Texas State Conference of  NAACP Branches voted unanimously to oppose the nomination of Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, President Gary Bledsoe announced. He said that there were a variety of reasons that the organization felt compelled to oppose Owen’s nomination.

“Justice Owen has shown herself to be extreme in her opinions, even when contrasted to other Justices of the Supreme Court from her own political party. She has also shown an inability to be fair to certain groups of litigants, in particular employees against employers, taxpayers and consumers against large companies, injured parties in personal injury cases, plaintiffs who have won jury awards and beneficiaries of state laws that the Justice apparently disagrees with,” he said.

Bledsoe continued, “It is especially important that we restore confidence in our courts in the wake of our current economic climate, with revelations regarding apparent wrong doing by many large businesses such as Enron, Arthur Anderson & WorldCom.  Like other citizens, African-Americans have an interest in the welfare of our economy and the fairness of our courts.  However, we are keenly aware that the appointment of Justice Owen to the Fifth Circuit, with her track record in favor of large companies even under the most questionable of circumstances, would further erode the confidence that Americans have in our system—judicial and otherwise.”
“We need to have a judge nominated who may clearly be said to be one who is for all the people: Black, Brown and White, rich and poor, plaintiff or defendant.  In order for our system to work, each litigant (plaintiffs and defendants), must be given a fair opportunity at the court house.”