In response to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s decision to file cloture on four nominees to U.S. Courts of Appeals—Amy Coney Barrett, Joan Larsen, Stephanos Bibas, and Allison Eid—People For the American Way Executive Vice President Marge Baker issued the following statement:
“This move is obviously the outcome of two developments: Donald Trump has discovered that his unconstitutional and illegal actions are running aground in the courts under scrutiny from judges who are committed to upholding the law and the Constitution; and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has found himself under pressure from his far-right base and dark money donors pouring millions of dollars into our political system. So instead of working to address the critical issues Americans are facing, Trump and McConnell have aligned to pack the courts with biased partisans who are committed to pushing a dangerous agenda from the bench. This kind of move should be profoundly concerning to anyone who cares about defending our Constitution’s guarantees of equal justice under law, Republicans and Democrats alike. No one who claims to oppose the damage being done to our country by President Trump can support this rush to totally transform our courts to his liking, nor can anyone who cares about the tremendous amount of dark money flooding our system. Americans deserve open-minded judges who will use their positions to uphold the Constitution’s promise of justice and equality for all. We deserve better than this attack on our courts.”
People For the American Way has previously sent letters to Capitol Hill opposing the confirmation of all four nominees.
People For the American Way is a progressive advocacy organization founded to fight right-wing extremism and defend constitutional values including free expression, religious liberty, equal justice under the law, and the right to meaningfully participate in our democracy.
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