Michigan CSE Rallies to “Free the Michigan Four”

The Genesse County Chapter of Michigan Citizens for a Sound Economy

(MI CSE) held a rally today to protest Senator Debbie Stabenow’s obstruction of President Bush’s nominations for the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Michigan citizens gathered outside Senator Stabenow’s district office to demand she “Free the Michigan Four.”

President Bush has nominated four qualified individuals to fill the four vacancies in the Sixth Circuit that have been deemed judicial emergencies by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Despite that, Senator Stabenow and her Michigan colleague, Senator Carl Levin, are taking advantage of Senate tradition which allows them to block judicial nominees from their home state.

Blocked nominations have caused judicial crises around the country, resulting in more summary judgments and rushed decisions. The large number of open seats in the courts is creating a judicial system that is overworked and understaffed. That means Americans are being deprived of their judicial rights as they are forced to wait longer for their day in court and judges are forced to make rushed decisions.

By requiring judicial nominees to pass litmus tests in order to get approved, Senator Stabenow and her obstructionist colleagues in the Senate have chosen to serve their political ideology at the expense of the judicial system.

Four citizens attended the rally dressed as judges with their hands tied behind their backs to illustrate that Senator Stabenow is holding Michigan’s judicial system hostage.

Lanny Valentine, a local businessman who is a member of MI CSE attended the rally and made following comments:

“We are here to let Senator Stabenow know that Michigan citizens are tired of having justice held hostage to ideological politics.

“Senator Stabenow and Senator Levin are creating a judicial emergency. Our nation was founded on the rule of law. Judges should be evaluated strictly on whether or not they value the supremacy of the law over political ideology.

“We call on Senator Stabenow to free the Michigan four.”

Twenty-five MI CSE members rally in the rain outside of Senator Stabenow’s office in Flint. We’re taking the fight right to the liberals!

A television cameraman from Fox Channel 66 in Flint gets a shot of the CSE activists!

A reporter from the Flint Journal interviews Michigan CSE VCL Lanny Valentine.