WASHINGTON (AP) California Supreme Court Justice Janice Rogers Brown's nomination to the federal bench is sparking more political controversy, with a civil rights group announcing a television advertisement Wednesday calling on Sen. John Edwards to support the conservative judge.
The Congress of Racial Equality is airing the ad in Edwards' home state of North Carolina, where the Democratic Party is hoping for victory this year with Edwards on the ticket as the vice presidential hopeful.
CORE is out of step with most civil rights group in supporting Brown the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Congressional Black Caucus both oppose her, with opponents citing her opposition to affirmative action, among other stances.
But leaders of the more conservative Congress of Racial Equality say Brown is a black role model who deserves a seat on the federal bench, and they're challenging Edwards on his home turf to support her. The ad also names Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, a fellow Senate Judiciary Committee member who has helped lead the fight against Bush judicial nominees.
``Judge Janice Rogers Brown is the daughter of sharecroppers and an American success story,'' a female announcer says in the ad set to air for about a week starting Wednesday on cable and network news broadcasts in North Carolina.
``For her remarkable work, she has been nominated to the federal bench ... Tell John Edwards and Ted Kennedy to stop blocking the nomination of Judge Janice Rogers Brown.''
CORE national spokesman Niger Innis said the group hasn't made an endorsement in the presidential race. But he said it's no accident the ad is airing in a Southern state Democrats hope to win.
``Frankly the fact that we're doing this in the heat of a political season when the whole world is watching, is a good thing,'' said Innis, a registered Republican. ``We're not affecting the election, it's John Edwards' timidity and cowardice in dealing with this question, it's the Democrats' filibustering tactics that could affect this campaign. We just want to let black Americans know what is happening within the Democratic Party.''
Brown, among the most conservative of California's seven Supreme Court justices, is among a half-dozen Bush appeals court nominees who've been blocked in the Senate by Democrats threatening a filibuster. She's nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
Spokesmen for Edwards and Kennedy defended the senators' opposition to Brown, contending she has voted against civil rights, workers' rights and environmental protections.
``Sen. Edwards feels a strong obligation to lead on issues of civil rights. Supporting Justice Brown would be turning his back on that responsibly, which is something he would never do,'' said Edwards spokeswoman Kim Rubey.
Brown's judicial assistant said the justice had no comment.
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