OPINION:
As a San Francisco law professor, I read with dismay your editorial “Another judicial radical” (Opinion, Sunday), which attacked U.S. District Court nominee Edward Chen. In the many years that he has served with distinction as a magistrate judge in the Northern District of California, Judge Chen has proved to be a skilled jurist who is highly regarded throughout the legal community. He has earned the respect not only of his colleagues on the bench, but also of members of the legal community across the political spectrum.
Judge Chen’s concerns about post-Sept. 11 race relations and religious tolerance hardly take him out of the mainstream. Backlash after the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, was widely documented. For instance, I point you to a 2006 USA Today/Gallup Poll of 1,007 Americans showing “strong anti-Muslim feeling.” Thirty-nine percent of respondents in that poll said they felt at least some prejudice against Muslims. The same percentage favored requiring Muslims, including U.S. citizens, to carry a special ID “as a means of preventing terrorist attacks in the United States,” and 22 percent said they would not want Muslims as neighbors.
Judge Chen has a brilliant legal mind and would be welcomed as a partner at any number of corporate law firms. He instead has chosen to be a public servant. We should be honored that he has made this choice, and the Senate should move swiftly on his confirmation.
MARCI SEVILLE
Professor of law
Golden Gate University School of Law
San Francisco
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