Rudy's Real Record on Judges: In NYC, Appointed Liberal Democrats Over Republicans by 8:1 Margin

(Hat tip: The Curt Jester)

Rudy backers have been on the offensive trying to convince conservatives that they can trust Rudy to nominate judges in the mold of Scalia, Roberts, and Alito. On two occasions, I have questioned how conservatives are supposed to "trust" Rudy in this regard. See here:

... I can't believe some conservatives are so naive as to actually buy Rudy's B.S. about nominating judges like Scalia, Thomas, Roberts and Alito. What about the man who endorsed Mario Cuomo over George Pataki and considered endorsing Bill Clinton over Bob Dole makes these conservatives think that they can trust him with Supreme Court appointments? It's just nuts!

and here:

...there is absolutely nothing in the record of the man who endorsed Mario Cuomo over George Pataki and considered endorsing Bill Clinton over Bob Dole that makes him even remotely trustworthy on the abortion issue. Or, for that matter, the same-sex "marriage" issue. If Cuomo and Clinton are Rudy's idea of good chief executives, why am I going to trust him to nominate decent conservatives and/or strict constructionists to life-tenured positions on the federal courts?

Apparently this extrapolation on my part was unnecessary, as, according to The Politico, Rudy's actual judicial picks while Mayor of New York City leave much to be desired:

When Rudy Giuliani faces Republicans concerned about his support of gay rights and legal abortion, he reassures them that he is a conservative on the decisions that matter most.

"I would want judges who are strict constructionists because I am," he told South Carolina Republicans last month. "Those are the kinds of justices I would appoint -- Scalia, Alito and Roberts."

But most of Giuliani's judicial appointments during his eight years as mayor of New York were hardly in the model of Chief Justice John Roberts or Samuel Alito -- much less aggressive conservatives in the mold of Antonin Scalia.

A Politico review of the 75 judges Giuliani appointed to three of New York state's lower courts found that Democrats outnumbered Republicans by more than 8 to 1. One of his appointments was an officer of the International Association of Lesbian and Gay Judges. Another ruled that the state law banning liquor sales on Sundays was unconstitutional because it was insufficiently secular.

A third, an abortion-rights supporter, later made it to the federal bench in part because New York Sen. Charles E. Schumer, a liberal Democrat, said he liked her ideology.

Cumulatively, Giuilani's record was enough to win applause from people like Kelli Conlin, the head of NARAL Pro-Choice New York, the state's leading abortion-rights group. "They were decent, moderate people," she said.

[More]

No way should Catholics and/or conservatives EVER even consider voting for this guy.


UPDATE
In addition to The Curt Jester, others commenting on this story are Zach Brissett at In Toon With the World and Publius at Res Publica et Cetera.