WASHINGTON, D.C.— Federal courts and judicial nominations were a major topic at this weekend’s Democratic presidential primary forum in Des Moines, Iowa, co-hosted by People For the American Way and seven pro-democracy partner organizations.* Six candidates took part in the January 19 event: Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, former South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg, Andrew Yang, former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick, and former Congressman John Delaney. Candidates were asked by HuffPost moderators Amanda Terkel and Kevin Robillard about how they would address the challenge of a federal judiciary that the Trump administration has pushed to the far right.
“Every single issue these presidential candidates are campaigning on will eventually make its way to the courts,” said PFAW Executive Vice President for Policy and Program Marge Baker. “We also know, based on our polling, that voters care about the courts and see them as a reason to vote for Democrats.”
Below are video clips of candidates’ comments about courts:
Warren
Klobuchar
Buttigieg
Patrick
Delaney
Here is a link to video of the entire forum: https://www.c-span.org/video/?468160-1/democratic-presidential-candidates-speak-we-people-2020-forum-iowa
PFAW’s Vote the Courts 2020 campaign is compiling candidates’ comments on courts and encouraging candidates to talk about courts on the campaign trail. The initiative also serves to educate voters about the courts through programs like the January 19 event in Iowa.
* Partner organizations for this event were End Citizens United, NAACP, Brady, Public Citizen, MoveOn, Common Cause and Progress Iowa.
About People For the American Way
People For the American Way is a progressive advocacy organization founded to fight right-wing extremism and build a democratic society that implements the ideals of freedom, equality, opportunity and justice for all. We encourage civic participation, defend fundamental rights, and fight to dismantle systemic barriers to equitable opportunity. Learn more: https://www.pfaw.org.