President Bush Asserts Opposition to Same Sex “Marriage”

President Bush announced on Wednesday at a press conference that he supports a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The amendment was proposed by the Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Republican from Tennessee. The amendment would ban homosexual “marriages.”

The President stated that he would not “compromise” on the issue, saying, “Marriage is between a man and a woman, and I think we ought to codify that one way or the other.”

Patriot Act Challenged by ACLU

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filled a lawsuit Wednesday in a Michigan federal court challenging the USA Patriot Act. They leveled charges that it is unconstitutional based primarily upon Section 215 of the act. This section allows the FBI access items such as personal business information and check-out records at libraries. The ACLU claims that this violates rights to privacy, free speech, and due process. The organization also notes an unfair increase in investigations undertaken against Muslim and other minority communities. The FBI issued a statement defending the act, saying that Section 215 still contains necessary safeguards to protect rights.

Since its passage 165 different communities across the United States have officially condemned the USA Patriot Act.

Ongoing Disagreement toward Judicial Nominees

Turmoil continued this week as the Senate Judicial Committee focused on the prolonged nomination process of two judicial nominees, Miguel Estrada and Henry Saad. Both candidates are expected to see filibusters in the future by democrats. This is nothing unfamiliar to Estrada who was nominated over two years ago by President Bush, and is still seeking a conclusion to his nomination.

If elected, Estrada would be the first Hispanic to sit on the DC Federal Court of Appeals. He needs only five more votes to be confirmed, as four democrats have stepped over their party line to submit their approval to his nomination. The continuing filibuster by Democrats has frustrated many Republican members, who have scheduled two press conferences to expose what they feel are “obstruction tactics” to the public.\

The Saad nomination went unfinished as debate by Senators was focused not on the candidate, but the procedure by which the candidate is nominated. Customarily, nominees are not given hearings or advanced through the confirmation process unless they have the support of both home-state senators, which Saad does not. The committee hearing was never finished, as members ventured over to the floor of the Senate to deal with the Miguel Estrada nomination.