Spokane Bishop William S. Skylstad, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote President Bush last Friday regarding the type of person the USCCB would like to see nominated to replace retiring US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. His letter, which is included in the USCCB's July 6 press release, says in part:
"I urge you to consider for the Court qualified jurists who, pre-eminently, support the protection of human life from conception to natural death, especially of those who are unborn, disabled, or terminally ill. I would ask you to consider jurists who are also cognizant of the rights of minorities, immigrants, and those in need; respect the role of religion and of religious institutions in our society and the protections afforded them by the First Amendment; recognize the value of parental choice in education; and favor restraining and ending the use of the death penalty. "
