Who is Gustavus A. Puryear IV, and Why Should He Receive a
Lifetime Appointment as a Federal Judge in Nashville?
You may have never heard about Gustavus Adolphus Puryear IV, but you probably know the company he works for – Nashville-based Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), the nation's largest for-profit prison operator. Puryear serves as CCA's general counsel, their top lawyer.
Puryear has been nominated for a lifetime federal appointment to the U.S. District Court in Middle Tennessee, the same district where CCA is headquartered. His nomination is set for a hearing before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on February 12, 2008. There are several reasons why Puryear's judicial nomination is problematic, including the following:
* Conflict of Interest. Mr. Puryear would have a conflict of interest in regard to all litigation involving CCA, his former employer. His 2006 compensation from CCA included a salary of $237,308 plus $602,957 in "other long term compensation."
* Lack of Litigation Experience. According to federal court records, Puryear has been listed as counsel in 130 cases in U.S. District Court in Tennessee over his legal career. However, 85 of those cases were dismissed by the court without service on the defendants; 39 were handed by another law firm or attorney; in one case Puryear sent a letter to the court saying the defendant had died; and he was directly involved in only 5 cases – most recently a decade ago, and only one of those went to trial. He has little empirical, hands-on litigation experience.
* Partisan Political Appointment. Puryear is a dedicated Republican supporter, having worked under Republican Senators Bill Frist and Fred Thompson. He has given at least $13,450 to federal and state Republican campaign committees; the Nashville Post referred to Mr. Puryear as a "Republican heavyweight."
For more information about Mr. Puryear and how you can oppose his judicial nomination, please visit:
WWW.AGAINSTPURYEAR.ORG
