Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., an outspoken member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, warned the president that Democrats would continue to oppose Bush's conservative nominees. "There's clearly no mandate from the American people to stack the courts with conservative ideologues," Schumer said. "So if the White House persists in sending us nominees who threaten to throw the courts out of whack with the country, we have no choice but to vote 'no.' "

Why have Biden and Schumer and other Judiciary Democrats taken such a radical stand? Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, now once again committee chairman, said liberal special interest groups are seeking an “ideological litmus test” to screen out judges who do not agree with them on issues such as abortion.

You can be certain there will be much attention paid to future judicial nominees to determine their position on the issue of life. And, don't be surprised when liberals use the "pro-life" label to target a nominee for defeat.

People for the American Way, the liberal lobby that led the charge to defeat Judge Pickering, said the Judiciary Committee should continue to reject nominees "who pose a threat" to the abortion industry. And the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League said it "will continue to closely monitor the records of all nominees and will continue to oppose those whose views threaten the right to choose."

High Stakes

The rejection of the original Pickering nomination was only a sampling of the confirmation battles yet to come. The debate and controversy surrounding nominees for the lower courts will pale in comparison to the attention and focused assault that will be aimed at Bush's first nominee to the Supreme Court.

No one knows when the first vacancy on the nation's highest court will occur. It could happen as early as this summer. And just about every year, the court rules on a case that profoundly affects families of faith. That's why Christians must remain vigilant and outspoken on the issue of political appointments.

Perhaps our seventh president, Andrew Jackson, said it best in 1822: "All the rights secured to the citizens under the Constitution are worth nothing, and a mere bubble, except guaranteed to them by an independent and virtuous judiciary."

Jay Sekulow, who has argued eight cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, is chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice, an international public interest law firm and educational organization specializing in constitutional law and religious liberty work. The ACLJ is headquartered in Virginia Beach, Va., and the Website address is www.aclj.org.