US Senate Candidate Wendy Long Stands with Mayor Bloomberg on Stop & Frisk

Statement

US Senate candidate Wendy Long today announced her support for the Bloomberg administration's "Stop & Frisk" policy while denouncing the judicial overreach and political interference in police work that threaten to put more New Yorkers in danger.

"Thanks to the leadership of Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Kelly, New York City is the safest large city in America but liberal judicial activism and political interference threatens to turn back the clock putting people in danger and sacrificing the quality of life in the city," said Long.

The recent decisions of federal district judges Nicholas Garaufis and Shira Scheindlin in cases involving the New York City Fire and Police Departments highlights the importance of the Senate's role in recommending federal judges to the President and in confirming judges who are neutral arbiters of disputes. Judge Garaufis has repeatedly shown his bias towards the City's reasonable arguments on hiring in the Fire Department, and Judge Scheindlin, in certifying as a class everyone who has been stopped and frisked by the New York City Police Department, has twisted class action law in order to serve her own political goals.

Long added, "Having been on the front lines of the confirmation battles involving Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito, I know firsthand what is at stake when the Senate exercises its 'advise and consent' power over federal judges. Judge Scheindlin's certification of this "Stop & Frisk" disregards the clear requirements for a class action."

Long concluded, "New Yorkers deserve judges who will sacrifice their personal bias to the Constitution, not vice-versa. With six more years of Senator Gillibrand giving no counter point to Senator Schumer's judicial selections, New Yorkers can expect a lengthy parade of Garaufises and Scheindlins. I will stand up for judges who faithfully follow the law as it is written."

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