DELAY V. ACTIVISTS: With Senate conservatives trying to get President Bush's non-liberal judicial nominees confirmed, House conservatives led by Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R.-Tex.) have formed the House Working Group on Judicial Accountability, aimed at restraining judicial activism. DeLay, together with Rep. Lamar Smith (R.-Tex.) and Rep. Steve Chabot (R.-Ohio), apparently believes that Congress should make the laws of the United States, not the courts. "Co-chairs Lamar Smith and Steve Chabot have recruited a core of smart, tough and aggressive members, and based on the early meetings it's clear that when it comes to judicial abuses they're going to take no prisoners," said DeLay on July 23. "We're going to address the problem of judicial activism at its roots and restore the U.S. Constitution as the North Star of the American judiciary." According to DeLay's office, the working group will "identify bad laws that invite judicial activism and hopefully recommend legislation that will prevent it in the future; involve the House in more federal court nominations because we believe America deserves a United States Senate that will seriously consider this President's mainstream and qualified nominees and allow them a vote; work with the Judiciary Committee on its vigorous oversight of the federal court system."
CLEAR SUPPORT: The CLEAR Act (HR 2671) from Rep. Charlie Norwood (R.-Ga.) would make it much easier for local law enforcement agencies to co-operate with the federal government in enforcing immigration law, which is often ignored by local policemen. It would remove legal hurdles in the way of such cooperation but not force local law enforcement to participate. Since its introduction, the CLEAR Act has received endorsements from the National Sheriffs' Association, the Law Enforcement Alliance of America, the Southern States Police Benevolent Association, and Friends of Immigration Law Enforcement. "The men and women who wear the badge and protect us from criminals every single day deserve better than a system that asks them to arrest and re-arrest illegal aliens committing crimes-creating a revolving door for criminal aliens and making officers' jobs that much more difficult and dangerous," said Norwood July 18.
CORE PROBLEMS: Even the conservative civil rights group Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) has problems with the idea of allowing prescription drug re-importation, which will supposedly allow Americans to buy drugs at the lower prices available to many people overseas. If drug companies raise their prices in response to re-importation, said CORE spokesman Niger Innis, "An increase in price would prevent many from purchasing their much-needed drugs." Said Peter Barton Hutt, former FDA general counsel, "Once a drug leaves the country, what happens to it?" He suggested the possibility of "improper handling and storage, to disguised expiration dates." Innis noted that cutting drug companies' profits will reduce spending for researching and developing new drugs and also would lead to fewer charitable donations of drugs to Third World countries.
LEFTIST DISTRICT CAVES: Maybe left-wing school administrators are getting the message. After receiving a letter from the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), a public interest law group that promotes religious freedom, a public school district in Iowa allowed a Christian club to meet on school grounds. "The Community School District of South Tama County Iowa now says that the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Club at South Tama High School will be treated like all the other student organizations," reported ADF on July 21. Said Peter Gentala, an ADF lawyer, "The district must level the playing field. The courts have firmly established the right of student religious clubs to have full and equal access to school property consistent with the 1st Amendment. The crucial factor that triggers the Equal Access Act is whether a school district allows other non-curriculum clubs to use school facilities." The school had already given other groups access.
PRESERVING THE VOTE: Connecticut Gov. John Rowland (R.) vetoed a bill that would have allowed voter registration on the same day as voting-a recipe for voter fraud, which is already common enough in many heavily Democratic areas. "Incumbents continue to undermine sensible attempts to turn around our abysmal voter turnout rates. Low turnout may boost their re-election chances, but it undermines the health of our democracy," complained former Illinois Republican Rep. John Anderson, the one-time independent presidential candidate who now chairs the Center for Voting and Democracy.
