Introduction
One of the nominees of the Supreme Court as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court was Clement Furman Haynsworth. This is one of the unsuccessful nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court. President Richard M. Nixon on 21st August 1969 nominated Haynsworth to the Supreme Court. He withdrew officially on 21st November the same year. He was to be a replacement for Abe Fortas. Abe Fortas had resigned after he was charged in court for conflict of interest.
Nomination of Clement Haynsworth
Before his nomination, Haynsworth was a federal judge on the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. This was after a nomination by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He was the Senate confirmed after the nomination and later became chief judge in 1964. He had vast knowledge in law, after graduating from Furman University and later in Harvard Law. He had also served in the US Navy in World War II. These were the main reasons why the president was in favor of the nomination. Haynsworth was nominated at a time when there was a strong political battle in the Senate (Davis 2011). This was after the resignation of Abe Fortas, who was highly supported by the Democrats and rejected by the Republicans. After lack of confirmation during the first time in the floor of the Senate, any citizen who had any arguments for or against Haynsworth had a chance to testify. This raised numerous arguments.
Arguments in Support of the Nomination
Senator Marlow Cook argued that the nominee was being treated unjustly. He said that the character assassination used by the Senate was subjecting the nominee to an injustice. He also argued that Haynsworth was an honest man. He went ahead to point out that Haynsworth was a man of integrity. Some of the senators later termed him as moderate. They also said that his outlook was close to that of John Paul Stevens, who was considered a man of discreet moderation in matters concerning the law (Hollings 2008).
Arguments Against the Nomination
Haynsworth was accused of allegedly making decisions in favor of segregation. He was also believed to be reflexively anti-labor. He was rejected by the Democrats, Republicans and even the labor unions, who brought in numerous accusations in their favor. Senator Philip Hart said that the decisions made by Haynsworth on labor and civil rights management were “unacceptable.”
Final Senate Vote and the Fate of Haynsworth
After debates on the floor of the Senate concerning Haynsworth, the members decided to settle by voting. The nominee lost by a vote of 55 to 45. This was on November 21, 1969. The votes were spread among the Democrats and the Republicans. There were 19 Democrats and 26 Republicans who voted against the nomination. On the other hand, 38 Democrats and 17 Republicans cast their votes against the nomination (Haynes 1972).
Conclusion
This essay has explained the nomination, hearings and the rejection of Clement Furman Haynsworth. It is evident, therefore, that the process was done free and fairly without favoritism from any one side of the political parties in the country. Therefore, the nominee was not confirmed. This show that the country were politically stable at the time people could enjoy their democratic rights. Despite losing this nomination position, Haynsworth still retained his position in the Court of Appeal.
