By Vera Haller WEnews correspondent President Bush's first nominees for federal judgeships include one vocal opponent of abortion rights, but others have not ruled or spoken publicly on choice.
Analysts say the list has a conservative, anti-civil rights bent.
Several, however, have been active in cases that ultimately limited the rights of those who face discrimination to turn to the federal courts for assistance. Michael McConnell, a professor at the University of Utah College of Law, is the one nominee known to be anti-choice, said Monica Hobbs, federal legislative counsel for the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy. Other experts contacted for comment refused to speak for the record but expressed concern about the overall anti-civil rights tilt to the list. McConnell was among 11 attorneys and jurists, including seven sitting judges, chosen by Bush on May 8 to fill vacancies on federal appeal courts around the country. The federal court system has 99 vacancies.