Black Quandary Over Court Nominee
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The nomination of Clarence Thomas, the black appellate court judge selected by President Bush for the Supreme Court, presents black civil rights leaders with an uncomfortable choice: Should they cheer his success, fight his nomination, or both? “Yes, it’s painful, I won’t deny that,” said Joseph E. Lowery, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. “But what’s important here more than his color is his sensitivity to be fair and just and whether or not we can trust this man to protect our basic rights.” So far, most civil rights leaders have declined to say where they stand. “When we get through looking at his record we may oppose him, support him, or take no position,” said Benjamin L. Hooks, executive director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. A spokesman for the N.A.A.C.P. said the organization might adopt a position on the Thomas nomination next week at its annual convention in Houston. Senate Consideration The positions civil rights organizations ultimately adopt on Judge Thomas will be a focus of attention as the Senate moves toward consideration of the nomination, which it will probably take up after Labor Day. Officials of two major civil rights groups — one representing blacks, the other Hispanic Americans — say privately that they expect organizations representing women, the elderly and Hispanic people to oppose the Thomas nomination. They added that for the opposition to be effective it would need the active support of the major black groups. “If you look at the Bork vote, the crucial votes that defeated him were the Southern Democrats,” said the Hispanic official, referring to the 1987 Senate rejection of the nomination of Robert H. Bork to the Supreme Court. “You don’t get those votes without the N.A.A.C.P.” Some civil rights leaders say that Judge Thomas’s race and accomplishments are inextricably entwined in their calculations. Judge Thomas pulled himself out of poverty to become a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and now a nominee for the Supreme Court. Judge Thomas’s rise, they say, embodies many of the goals of the civil rights movement and is a role model for black children. Value of Hard Work More : query.nytimes.com |