Dear Senators Stevens, Chafee, Collins, Hagel, Warner, McCain, Snowe, and Specter:

     In a very short time from now, you will be asked to cast a vote on ending the current Senate filibuster rule that has kept a dozen of President Bush’s judicial nominees from securing a simple up-or-down vote on the floor of the Senate.

     We are composed of both UCLA alumni and concerned members of the public, and we urge you, as Republicans and as people of fairness, to cast an affirmative vote on ending filibusters.  Without your support, Justice Janice Rogers Brown will be denied, for a second time, her rightful opportunity to sit on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

     The daughter of sharecroppers in rural, segregated Alabama in the 1950s, Brown worked her way through UCLA law school as a single mother, and has consistently earned praise from both side of the aisle.  In California, one of the most liberal states in the nation, Brown earned 75% approval from voters, and the endorsement of both the Los Angeles Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.

     Brown’s brave stand in upholding Proposition 209, the measure that ended affirmative action in the state of California, earns her particular praise from the UCLA students who benefited from the equal admissions process that her crucial decision supported.

     The Bruin Alumni Association hails Justice Brown’s firm and principled stand against racial set-asides, abortion on demand, and the big-government welfare state.  Brown would proudly represent UCLA and the ideals of all right-minded alums once confirmed.

     Senator Stevens, as an honored alumni of UCLA (Class of ’47), we look to you to lead the fight for confirmation of a fellow Bruin in her time of need.

      Senators Chafee, Collins, Hagel, Warner, McCain, Snowe, and Specter: unless you muster your resolve for ending the filibuster of Justice Brown and others, Senate Democrats will continue to exercise a historically-unprecedented minority veto.  Your affirmative vote, when the time comes, is crucial.

     We, the alumni of UCLA, and concerned members of the public, expect your support and demand that the Senate Confirm Brown Now!

     Signed,

     Andrew Jones
     President, Bruin Alumni Association

Note: Email bruinalumni (at) bruinalumni.com to add your signature; petition will be sent each time 100 signatures are received.