Advocacy Groups Start Raising Money for Battle Over Supreme Court Nominee

Even before Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor announced her retirement from the bench, the conservative group Progress for America, in Washington, was broadcasting radio and television ads warning that “Democrats will attack anyone the president nominates” to fill a Supreme Court vacancy.

That first shot has now given way to a full-on battle between advocacy groups on both ends of the political spectrum as they raise money for massive publicity campaigns. The intent is to put public pressure on members of the U.S. Senate, who will have to vote to confirm or reject the president’s nominee.

“This is the most important fight of our time,” says David Seldin, communication director at Naral Pro-Choice America, in Washington. He says that following the July 1 announcement, his group sent out a million direct-mail solicitations and made 100,000 phone calls to previous donors; close to $1-million had been raised as of last week.

Progress for America has pledged to spend $18-million to defend President Bush’s nominee, with $13-million of the total slated for TV and radio spots. The organization has started a Web site, http://www.upordownvote.com, to serve as the nucleus of its online activities related to the Supreme Court.

Nan Aron, president of the Alliance for Justice, a Washington association of civil-rights, environmental, and other organizations, says her group expects to “raise millions” for efforts to thwart the nomination of anyone who is not a moderate candidate.

Many of the advocacy groups who are gearing up for Supreme Court campaigns, however, are keeping mum about how much money they have garnered so far.

Ralph Neas, president of People for the American Way, a liberal advocacy group in Washington, was among several advocates who declined to provide a figure for how much has been raised.

The organization has started an Internet campaign of its own, at http://www.savethecourt.org, and it is conducting and e-mail campaign to encourage people to get a group of 10 friends together to each donate $10.

“Right now we really don’t know how much we’re going to be raising,” says Mr. Neas. He said the sum the group needs will depend on whether the president nominates a controversial candidate for the Supreme Court.