Clinton May Pick Judges Who Reject Abortion Rights
In an effort to appear evenhanded, the Clinton Administration is considering naming some judges to the federal bench who oppose the legal right to abortion, according to a published report.
While President Clinton plans to keep his commitment to appoint only Supreme Court justices who favor abortion rights, he and his senior aides do not believe that abortion is a make-or-break issue for lower-court judges, the New York Times said in today’s editions.
The newspaper quoted unidentified congressional and Administration officials.
“They don’t want to be seen as holding people to litmus test demands,” a senior congressional staff member told the paper. “They want to maintain their commitment to freedom of choice but not be tagged with using a litmus test.”
The Times said abortion-rights groups have quietly protested the decision to Administration officials.
Clinton said during his campaign that he would appoint judges who accept abortion as a right.
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