Covenant News

Controversial Jurist Attends a Covenant Church

CHICAGO, IL (May 18, 2005) - Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen, whose nomination to a federal appeals bench is at the center of a rancorous political fight, attends St. Barnabas the Encourager Covenant Church.

The Austin, Texas, church recently was welcomed into the Midsouth Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church and will be recommended for denominational membership during the Annual Meeting in June. The congregation recently terminated its affiliation with the Episcopal Church.

President Bush first nominated Owen to the Fifth Circuit Court in 2001, but her nomination was blocked in the Senate Judiciary Committee by a 10-9 vote along party lines when Democrats controlled the legislative body. After Republicans took control of the Senate, thus gaining a majority of seats on committees, Owen was approved 10-9 along party lines in 2003.

Her nomination has been challenged by many Democrats who consider Owen to be a conservative judicial activist who favors corporate interests and allows her religious beliefs to unduly influence her decisions on issues such as abortion. The Republican majority disagrees with that assessment and some have voiced support for abolishing the practice of filibustering, whereby a nomination can be almost indefinitely delayed.

Owen has served on the Texas Supreme Court since 1995. Every major newspaper in Texas endorsed her re-election in 2002. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from Baylor University and graduated in the top of her class from Baylor Law School in 1977, receiving a juris doctorate, cum laude. She was a member of the Baylor law review.

Owen has been with St. Barnabas since the church began, says Pastor Jeff Black, who added he was surprised that a sitting justice would join a church plant. She has taught children's Sunday school since joining the church and is a member of the Altar Guild. Black laughs as he tells how during "invite a friend week," she would invite her fellow justices. "There would be these kids and then there were all the justices sitting in the preschool chairs."

Black takes issue with those who would say Owen doesn't care for the poor. "What I see is a totally different deal," he says. "If I have somebody who is in trouble, she's right there. I can always call her."

He notes that she has received the endorsement of newspapers considered by some to be liberal in their perspectives, such as the Washington Post and the Philadelphia Inquirer. Other supporters point to Owen's active role in pressing the Texas Legislature to enact legislation that has resulted in millions of dollars per year in additional funds for providers of legal services to the poor.

Owen has weathered the controversy swirling around her. "She's been completely even tempered about it, completely," Black says. "It's been an incredible witness. She has this magnanimity that is striking."

The judge should know by the end of the week whether her nomination will be confirmed. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has said he will seek a vote this week. Democrats have threatened to filibuster. In response, Frist and other Republicans have said they would seek a change in Senate rules that would enable a simple majority to end the filibuster - normally a two-thirds vote is needed.    

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