ACLJ: Americans United Report to Discredit John Roberts on Church-State Issues is "Faulty" and Will Fail

August 29, 2005

(Washington, DC) The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), focusing on constitutional law, said todays report issued by Americans United for the Separation of Church and State critical of Supreme Court nominee John Roberts represents another faulty attempt to discredit the record and judicial philosophy of John Roberts.

The report by Americans United is just another faulty attempt to discredit the record of one of the most qualified nominees ever to be named to the Supreme Court of the United States, said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ who supports the confirmation of John Roberts.   The report is critical of Roberts position on church/state issues.  The fact is that John Roberts understands the First Amendment and the Establishment Clause and has a record of protecting the constitutional rights of people of faith.  With increasing pressure to remove any mention of religion from the public square, John Roberts understands the importance of protecting the religious rights of Americans while ensuring that the government does not exhibit hostility toward those who hold religious beliefs.  John Roberts has a conservative judicial philosophy that Americans embrace.  The confirmation hearings will give the nation an important opportunity to hear from John Roberts himself.  Americans will see firsthand that Roberts is an accomplished legal scholar who received the highest recommendation possible from the American Bar Association.  He understands that the judiciary is not the legislature that the role of a judge is to interpret the Constitution, not re-write it.  At the end of the process, efforts by liberal groups like Americans United to oppose John Roberts will fail.  He will be overwhelmingly confirmed.

Led by Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow, the ACLJ focuses on constitutional law and is based in Washington, D.C.