The View From 1776

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The following article appeared in the Intellectual Conservative website.

People of Faith Need Not Apply
by Carol Turoff
8 July 2005

Abortion becomes the single-issue litmus test that strikes at the heart of an independent judiciary. Article VI of the United States Constitution clearly states: “No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” What part of this founding document doesn’t the pro-abortion crowd understand?

“They are sort of our own home grown Taliban. If you don’t tune into their line, then you’re obviously on Satan’s line.” Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) referencing Christian broadcasters, June 8, 2005



“They are not very friendly to different kinds of people. They all behave the same and they all look the same.” Howard Dean Chairman, Democratic National Committee; describing Christian Conservatives, June 6, 2005



“I think we have a right to look into John Ashcroft’s religion.” Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) January 14, 2001

Bigotry isn’t simply raising its well-known ugly head these days. It is rising up on its hind legs and roaring. Judge John Roberts of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, recently nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court by President George W. Bush, is looking anti-religious bias in the eye. For those of us observing this spectacle from the sidelines, it is a harsh reminder that loathing often lurks just beneath the surface of cordiality. People of faith have become the newly acceptable targets of revilers.



Although Justices Kennedy, Scalia and Thomas are Catholics, this religion-based hostility was not openly apparent during their nominations. Neither were Jewish Justices Ginsburg and Breyer subject to the intense scrutiny we are currently witnessing. For while anti-Semitism certainly exists, blatancy has lowered its profile. Today, the permissible subjects of derision are those who could be accused of being members of a faith that values life. We must remain mindful that the unspoken truth elevating this vileness to acceptable levels is abortion. Since a basic tenet of the Catholic faith is protection of life, proponents of what is euphemistically termed “a woman’s right to choose” abhor the thought of another faithful Catholic on the court.



Article VI of the United States Constitution clearly states: “No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” With the pro-abortion crowd, however, devotion to this “right” takes precedence over our founding documents.



Open hostility to religion goes hand-in-glove with the non-existent “separation of church and state,” the reliable banner waved by those who prefer a solely secular society. Religion brings with it a set of expectations that are often unacceptable to those with a hedonistic agenda.



The Democrats have forgotten they have twice lost the presidency to a pro-life George W. Bush. The current Supreme Court vacancy is his to fill. Yet Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) inquires, “For more than 20 years, Sandra Day O’Connor has been an important vote in upholding Roe v. Wade (the 1973 supreme court decision establishing abortion as the law of the land). Will Judge Roberts be that same important voice?”



Sean Rushton, director of the conservative Committee for Justice, responded, “This is a single-issue litmus test that strikes at the heart of an independent judiciary. It proves that the Democratic Party is increasingly focused solely on the issue of abortion on demand. Their greatest fear is a nonpolitical judge who will read the law as it’s written.”



Anti-Catholic bigotry was prevalent in America in the mid-1800s when newspaper employment advertisements specified, “Protestants only,” or “No Catholics need apply.” For congressional leadership to emulate this bleak era should be inconceivable to any American of any faith. Fidelis, a Catholic-based advocacy group, has begun an Internet advertising campaign, aimed at addressing the personal attacks directed at Judge Roberts during the confirmation process.



Our constitutional freedom of religion has morphed into freedom from religion. The United States of America is unique among nations with our Judeo-Christian heritage under-girding our laws, established rights and freedoms. To rein in a Supreme Court nominee based on his/her faith is in direct contradiction to the clearly stated provisions of Article VI of the U.S. Constitution.

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Carol Turoff is a lifelong Arizonan and active Republican. Her credentials include serving as a precinct committeeman, precinct captain and elected member of the Republican state committee, as well as involvement in numerous political campaigns. She worked for the offices of the Maricopa County Attorney and Sheriff, as legislative liaison and public information officer. Additionally, she fulfilled those roles for the Department of Administration for the State of Arizona. Ms. Turoff recently concluded service as two-term member of the Commission on Appellate Court Appointments, during which time she participated in the selection of four of the five current Arizona Supreme Court Justices as well as 17 judges on both Div. I and II of the Arizona Court of Appeals. Read a recent letter to the editor on judicial selection Carol wrote here.

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