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Judge Henry W. Saad

Withdrawn Nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

  • Judge Henry Saad is an outstanding jurist with nearly a decade of experience on the state court of appeals.
    • Judge Saad has sat on the Michigan Court of Appeals since 1994, having been reelected twice with broad bi-partisan support. The American Bar Association rated Judge Saad "Qualified."
    • Judge Saad has significant appellate experience in both civil and criminal matters, and has authored over 75 published majority opinions.
    • President George H.W. Bush first nominated Judge Saad to the federal bench in 1992, but the Democratic Senate failed to act on his nomination (and one other in Michigan) prior to the end of President Bush’s term. Judge Saad nevertheless urged the confirmation of nominees of President Clinton to the Michigan federal courts.
  • The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, which has 16 authorized seats, has 4 vacancies. President Bush has nominated 4 highly qualified individuals from Michigan to fill these vacancies.
    • The seat to which Judge Saad has been nominated has been deemed a judicial emergency.
  • Judge Saad was born in Detroit and is a life-long resident of Michigan. He would be the first Arab American appointee to the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
    • "[Bush’s nomination of Saad in the wake of the September 11 attacks] conveys an important message to all the citizens and residents of this country that we embrace and welcome diversity and that we are extending the American dream to anyone who is prepared to work hard." U.S. District Judge George Steeh, III, an Arab-American Clinton appointee in Michigan. "Three Nominated by Bush to Appeals Court," Detroit Free Press, November 9, 2001.
  • Judge Saad teaches law and had a distinguished career as a practicing attorney before serving on the state bench.
    • Judge Saad serves as an adjunct law professor at both Wayne State University Law School and the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.
    • Prior to becoming a judge, Saad practiced law for twenty years at the prestigious Detroit firm of Dickinson, Wright, which he left as a partner in 1994. In private practice, he built a national practice and reputation in the areas of employment law, school law, libel law and First Amendment law.
    • Judge Saad received his J.D., magna cum laude, in 1974 and his bachelor’s degree in 1971, both from Wayne State University. In 2000, he received a special Order of the Coif award, which is bestowed by a vote of the faculty upon distinguished graduates who earned their degrees before the law school began inducting students into the Order of the Coif.
  • Judge Saad’s nomination has broad bipartisan support, including endorsements from such disparate groups as the United Auto Workers and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce.
    • In his state judicial campaigns, Judge Saad has received endorsements from the UAW, the Michigan Education Association, and the AFL-CIO.
  • Judge Saad is dedicated to improving the law and helping his state and local community through volunteer work.
    • Judge Saad has been Chairman of the Board of the Oakland Community College Foundation and President of the Wayne State University Law School Alumni Association and is currently a member of the Board of Visitors of the Ave Maria Law School.
    • Judge Saad was a Board Member of the Greater Detroit Inter-Faith Roundtable of the National Conference of Christians and Jews and a member of the Executive Committee of the American Arabic and Jewish Friends. He also served on the Board of the American Heart Association and as a trustee of the WTVS Channel 56 Educational Television Foundation.
    • Judge Saad received the "Salute to Justice John O’Brien Award" for outstanding volunteer service to the People of Oakland County in 1997. He received the Arab-American and Chaldean Council civic and humanitarian award for outstanding dedication to serving the community with compassion and understanding in 1995.
  • Judge Saad has a long history of support for the protection of civil rights.
    • Judge Saad served for fifteen years as a Hearing Referee for the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.
    • While in private practice, Judge Saad wrote an article defending the rights of employees afflicted with AIDS to be free from discrimination in the workplace. Mr. Saad wrote that an employer’s erroneous view that an employee had tested positive for AIDS could not justify that employee’s firing. A contrary result, he argued, would "eliminate any protection for AIDS victims and probably would mean wholesale discrimination against homosexuals by way of testing for AIDS." Henry Saad, "AIDS—Legal Implications for the Employer," 66 Mich. Bar J. 164 (Feb. 1987); See also Henry Saad, "AIDS and the Law," Management Solutions (Sept. 1986).
    • Judge Saad worked with the University of Michigan to craft a narrowly tailored policy to prohibit hate speech in campus classrooms, after the University’s first policy was voided for vagueness and overbreadth. Doe v. Univ. of Michigan, 721 F.Supp. 852 (E.D. Mich. 1989); "The Case for Prohibitions of Racial Epithets in the University Classroom," 37 Wayne L. Rev. 1351 (1990).

STATEMENTS OF SELECT SUPPORTERS OF HENRY W. SAAD

E. Spencer Abraham, former U.S. Secretary of Energy and former U.S. Senator from Michigan

"I have known Henry for twenty years on a personal and professional level. He is a person of unimpeachable integrity and will serve our country and our justice system remarkably well."

John Engler, former Governor of Michigan

"The President selected individuals [including Henry Saad] who are experienced judges and whose reputations for intellect, knowledge of the law, diligence and temperament are well established. Judge Saad has established a distinguished reputation on Michigan’s appellate court which he will take to the federal appeals court."

Stephen Yokich, President of the United Auto Workers

"I’ve known Judge Saad for twenty-five years: he is a man of the highest integrity and a judge who is fair, balanced and hard working. I strongly support President Bush’s nomination of Judge Saad to the federal appellate bench."

Congressman Joseph Knollenberg, U.S. Representative from Michigan

"I have known Judge Saad for over twenty-five years. He was an outstanding lawyer and is a highly regarded appellate jurist known for his scholarly opinions, balance and fairness. I am confident he will be a great addition to the federal appellate bench."

Justice Stephen Markman, Michigan Supreme Court

"In his seven years on the Michigan Court of Appeals, Judge Saad has been one of its most thoughtful and fair-minded jurists. His opinions and his judicial integrity have earned him the respect of a remarkably broad range of his colleagues."

Judge Hilda Gage, Michigan Court of Appeals

"I have served with Judge Saad on the Michigan Court of Appeals for six years. I admire his judicial independence and his scholarly analysis of the law. I applaud the President’s nomination of Judge Saad to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals."

Ted B. Wahby, Macomb County Treasurer and Democrat

"I have known Judge Saad for many years and believe him to be a fair and principled judge and a good public servant for Michigan. He would be an outstanding federal appeals judge and a credit to his state."