Orrin Hatch: “Justice Owen is committed to opening opportunities to women in the legal profession. She has been a member of the Texas…”

“Justice Owen is committed to opening opportunities to women in the legal profession. She has been a member of the Texas Supreme Court Gender Neutral Task Force, and she served as one of the editors of the Gender Neutral Handbook, a guide for all Texas lawyers and judges on the issue of recognizing and combating gender bias in the legal field. Incredibly, this is the same woman the usual interest groups mischaracterize as 'anti-woman.' Justice Owen's confirmation is backed by Texas lawyers such as E. Thomas Bishop, president of the Texas Association of Defense Counsel, and William B. Emmons, a Texas trial attorney and a Democrat who says that Justice Owen 'will serve [the Fifth Circuit] and the United States exceptionally well.' You can see the type of bipartisan support Justice Priscilla Owen enjoys. Justice Owen has served on the Texas Supreme Court since 1994, winning reelection to another 6-year term in the year 2000. She had bipartisan support, earning the endorsement of all major Texas newspapers and the endorsement of the Texas voters--84 percent of the electorate to be exact. This kind of support--running across the board and across party lines--leaves no doubt that Justice Owen is a fair-minded, mainstream jurist.”