"NCJW strongly believes that judges who serve on the federal bench must be firm defenders of constitutional rights and liberties, including women's reproductive rights. Judge Charles Pickering's record indicates that he is not. As a Mississippi state legislator in 1978, Judge Pickering voted to call a constitutional convention to outlaw abortion. He chaired the subcommittee of the 1976 Republican National Convention's Platform Committee which called for a constitutional amendment overturning Roe. He voted against state funding for family planning programs. Nothing in his record since then leads us to believe that his views have changed.

"The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals for which Judge Pickering is nominated covers Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, states with strong anti-choice state legislatures. It is likely that the 5th Circuit will have to rule on laws passed by those legislatures intended to restrict or overturn Roe. The 5th Circuit may well be the last word on most of those cases, since the Supreme Court considers only 80 to 100 cases each year of the 7,000 or so it receives annually.

"In launching BenchMark: NCJW's Campaign to Save Roe, the National Council of Jewish Women has made a commitment to act to ensure the confirmation of only those nominees to the federal bench who support fundamental freedoms, including a woman's right to choose abortion. In addition to his opposition to Roe and the right to privacy on which it is based, Judge Pickering has troublesome views on key civil rights issues, including affirmative action and the principle of 'one man, one vote.' NCJW will call on members of the US Senate to vote against his confirmation."