Bishop Sklylstad Chimes in on SCOTUS Vacancy

The USCCB does not get into endorsing, or opposing, individual candidates for public office as a general rule, rather focusing on "policies and principles." The conference's president has sent a letter to President Bush highlighting the "qualities" Bishop Skylstad hopes the president will "contemplate" as he considers the appointment of a successor to Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

[B]ecause of the Supreme Court’s ability to affect both principles and policies, 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. There are many specific applications of these and other fundamental matters which the USCCB has addressed or will address in the future through amicus briefs.

What about gay "marriage," I wonder? Anyway, I suspect that a candidate who is right on the five non-negotiables will be right on the rest of the list.