Irene Garvey

To the editor,

A few weeks ago a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was filed to request key documents on Supreme Court nominee John Roberts. This week, just before the legal deadline for a response, the Justice Department formally brushed aside the public interest and refused to release the documents.

Senate Democrats waited for the Bush Administration to come clean about Roberts's record but the administration has chosen not to. During the hearings, they asked Roberts serious, precise questions about his record and his views but Roberts dodged question after question.

Our Senate Leader, Harry Reid, is right: there are simply too many questions left unanswered. John Roberts, and the sham process that has accompanied his nomination, does not deserve our support.

But it is obvious that the Republican-controlled Senate may well confirm John Roberts. Some people even say that it's useless for me to speak out against him. They say I'm wasting my time.

But how will we, in a democratically run country, win any battle if we don't stand up for what we believe and speak the truth? More importantly, how will Americans know what to expect from a democracy if we don't fight for our values at every opportunity?

Americans can disagree with each other in good faith and many do on the John Roberts issue. But when political calculations silence our conscience, we have abandoned our true values. We cannot let that happen.

It had never been more important that all Americans receive equal protection under the law, particularly those who are most vulnerable. John Robertsâ*™ career has been defined by the argument that the constitution requires no such equal protection. Roberts has opposed multiple remedies for racial injustices and has stood with the most far-right elements of the Reagan administration in opposing the rights of blacks and Hispanics to vote without first paying poll taxes or being subjected to voter intimidation or gerrymandering. This is just a snap shot of his record — one of a man not suited for the job in Supreme Court. What more can I say?

Irene Garvey

Bristol