Text: ‘Events of Many Years Ago’

Here is the text of appeals court Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg’s announcement that he was withdrawing as a nominee to the Supreme Court:

I have today asked President Reagan not to forward my nomination to the Supreme Court.

I was deeply honored to have been chosen by the President, and I will always be grateful to him.

I was looking forward to sharing with the American people my views about justice, about the role of the courts in our society. Unfortunately all of the attention has been focused on our personal lives and much of that on the events of many years ago.

My views on the law and on what kind of Supreme Court justice I would make have been drowned out in the clamor.

The President and Mrs. Reagan deserve enormous credit for leading the fight against illegal drugs. I fully support their effort, and I hope that the young people of this country, including my own daughters, will learn from my mistake and heed their message.

For my part, I plan to continue to serve on the Court of Appeals for many years to come and to uphold the principles of our Constitution.

Thank you.