The Associated Press has a story about Rudy Giuliani’s promise to conservatives to appoint conservative judges if he becomes President.
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1684737,00.html
The story points out that –
“When Giuliani was mayor of New York, he appointed far more liberal judges."
"Mostly Democrats, his appointees included an abortion-rights supporter, gay activists and a judge who ordered the city to pay for an indigent New Yorker's sex change operation, among others. Another judge argued prostitution should be redefined according to the changing cultural and sexual practices of recent decades.”
It then says –
“To be sure, Giuliani was limited by the city's system of appointing judges. An advisory committee, controlled by Democrats, submitted candidates from which Giuliani could choose.”
That is just not true. The Mayor’s Committee on the Judiciary was created by executive order of Mayor Ed Koch and has been continued by his successors.
BUT THEY DON’T HAVE TO DO IT.
The Committee system is not a law. It is not part of the City Charter. Rudy could have completely changed the system of judicial appointments if he wanted to. He could have changed the membership of the Committee so that it was controlled by Republicans.
He could have and in fact did two or three times have ignored the recommendations of the Committee.
The reason Rudy appointed liberal judges when he was Mayor was the same reason he supported gun control, gay rights and a women’s freedom of choice. He wanted to get re-elected in a liberal City.