Terrence Boyle, who once worked as an aide to former Senator Jesse Helms, is now a federal district court judge in North Carolina. He is nominated to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Judge Boyle's decisions as a judge reveal that he holds views that would threaten legal rights of fundamental importance to women, and that he is willing to ignore established legal precedents. For instance, in one case, after the U.S. Justice Department charged the North Carolina Department of Corrections with discriminating in the hiring and promotion of women in the state prison system, the state agreed to take steps to remedy and prevent this kind of discrimination – but Judge Boyle rejected the settlement based on a misstatement of federal anti-discrimination law. The Court of Appeals reversed his decision, finding that he had abused his discretion.
In addition, Judge Boyle has written literally thousands of opinions that have not been made available to the public or to the Senate Judiciary Committee, making it impossible to examine his entire record.
For more information, see NWLC’s February 23, 2005 letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee expressing opposition to Judge Boyle’s nomination.
