Confirm Moderate Federal Judges

The current impasse in the Senate approval of federal appellate court judges isn’t about payback or politics, and it isn’t a “game,” as suggested in the headline of your Jan. 21 editorial, “Judgeship Game Cycles On.” It’s about not confirming judges who would set the country’s laws back 200 years.

The judicial nominees sent down by President Bush were handpicked by the ultra-right-wing Federalist Society, a group of lawyers so extreme they advocate rolling back the law to the 18th century. I don’t believe these kinds of people should be part of our judiciary.

The Times recommends bringing all candidates to an immediate Senate confirmation vote. But that’s only a short-term solution and won’t fix the problem.

Bush should no longer rely on advice from his handlers and should stop being the front man for the Federalist Society. He should withdraw these nominations, go back to using the American Bar Assn.’s recommendations (as our past presidents did) and nominate moderates--Democrat or Republican.

Bill Lakin

Poway

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Two can play the game of “Gotcha!” The Republicans started this procedure when they decided to destroy President Clinton’s administration.

With the Republican Party stealing the election with a loaded conservative Supreme Court and replacing the American Bar Assn. with the Federalist Society, the Democrats must preserve some balance in our country. The Democratic minority is acting as the constitutional balance written into our Constitution by some bright men who had experience with a monarchy.

I understand The Times’ criticism of the Democrats. However, our political system is evolving poorly, as campaign finances have obliterated political discourse.

Sanford Duroff

Tarzana