The following is a statement from Glenn Sugameli, Earthjustice’s Senior Judicial Counsel:

“With the pending retirement of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who has often served as the deciding vote on environmental issues, the Senate’s decision on whether or not to confirm White House Counsel Harriet Miers to a lifetime seat on the Supreme Court could determine the fate of basic environmental laws for several decades. Industry groups already have filed lawsuits raising constitutional and other challenges to a wide range of federal environmental protections. The laws under attack include the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and statutes that protect the health, safety, and rights of working families and consumers.”

“Public information about Harriet Miers’ record is limited; she has never been a judge, and has almost no published legal writings. Therefore, it is especially important that Ms. Miers demonstrate that she should be confirmed by fully answering questions about her record and her judicial philosophy. The Senate must fully and carefully scrutinize this nomination, including legal issues affecting the environment that Ms. Miers dealt with in her current position and in her previous roles as White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and as the President’s staff secretary.”

“The American people want our country to continue moving forward. We don’t want to roll back the progress we have made in protecting the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the wild places that are our natural heritage. As a Supreme Court Justice, Harriet Miers would have the power to uphold or to reverse decades of progress in protecting public health and our environment. The Senate has a constitutional advise-and-consent duty to ensure that the next Justice will be committed to upholding these safeguards and protecting the rights and freedoms of all Americans.”