Letter to Senator Arlen Specter

August 22, 2005

The Honorable Arlen Specter
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Mr. Chairman,

On June 17, 2005, before there was a vacancy on the Supreme Court, the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism issued a statement identifying the essential characteristics for judges as derived from Jewish tradition. We sent you a copy of that statement at that time; another copy is attached for your convenience. Now that Judge John Roberts has been nominated to fill a vacancy on the Court, we are writing to suggest that by these criteria, he is qualified to serve.

We determined that a justice must:

Be well trained, well educated and enjoy wide respect among diverse segments of society.
Eschew an ideologically defined approach to judicial interpretation. That is to say, a jurist should be neither an activist for change nor an unalterable opponent thereof.
Demonstrate in his or her past decisions a balanced respect for foundational documents, reasonable interpretation and societal realities.

Of course, you will weigh many aspects of Judge Roberts’ record and qualifications in your hearings and discussions as you determine whether to consent to his nomination. Should the hearings you conduct highlight information that changes our perspective, we certainly will communicate with you.

Our statement of Judge Roberts’ qualification reflects the consensus of the USCJ committee charged with the responsibility to consider public policy issues. Our organization serves well over 700 synagogues and their individual members. As is unavoidable in such a large group, there may be some members who do not concur with the committee’s perspective. However, this statement reflects the position of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

We wish you much success in your deliberations.

Sincerely,

William O. Bresnick,
Co-Chair, Public Policy Committee

Rabbi Jack Moline,
Co-Chair, Public Policy Committee

Mark Waldman,
Director of Public Policy

CC: United States Senators