I write regarding the recent full-page advertisement captioned “Reelect Judge Schwall,” which was published in the Daily Report on Friday, February 16. I have great respect for Judge Schwall and I fully support his re-election.

I was pleased to endorse Judge Schwall in the ad. I approved the quotation, the use of my name, and the name of our law firm.

I did not authorize, however, any reference to the Atlanta Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society or to my position as chairman of that chapter. I am not saying that the Daily Report acted inappropriately by publishing the advertisement as submitted. A mistake was apparently made by campaign staff.

The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies is a group of conservatives and libertarians interested in the current state of the legal order. It is founded on the principles that the state exists to preserve freedom, that the separation of governmental powers is central to our Constitution, and that it is emphatically the province and duty of the judiciary to say what the law is, not what it should be. The society seeks both to promote an awareness of these principles and to further their application through its activities.

The society does not, as part of its activities, endorse candidates for public office or take positions on matters of public policy, nor does it file amicus briefs. It follows that an officer of a Federalist Society chapter cannot use his position to endorse a candidate.

Frank B. Strickland,
Atlanta