Ex-Felon Works To Stop Judicial Appointment

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Had this been like most nominations for federal judgeships, the chief lawyer with Corrections Corporation of America might have been packing up his office and heading for the courthouse by now.

But a determined opponent—a former prisoner at a Corrections Corporation of America facility in Clifton, Tenn.—has worked tirelessly to see that would not happen.

And he may have succeeded.

More than a year after President Bush nominated Gustavus A. Puryear IV to become a U.S. district judge in Nashville, the 40-year-old's appointment appears to be in serious trouble, thanks in no small part to Alex Friedmann, a convicted armed robber turned inmate advocate.

Friedmann, 39, contends Puryear is unqualified because he lacks experience in federal courts—he's been involved in only two federal trials—and might have a potential conflict of interest in hearing cases that involve CCA.

On his Web site, http://www.againstpuryear.org, Friedmann also has detailed Puryear's ties to powerful Republicans like Dick Cheney, whom he helped prep for a 2000 debate, and portrayed Puryear as someone who got the nomination because of his connections rather than his qualifications.

The Denver Post