On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Republicans in Congress flock to social media to post their favorite Dr. King quotes out of context and reflect on his legacy of equality and justice. At the same time, they refuse to act on the core values of civil rights, often working actively to undermine the principles that King (and their tweets) espoused including voting rights, workers and union rights, anti-poverty measures and more.
Which brings us to Thomas Farr, Trump’s nominee for a federal court in North Carolina.
No one with a record of racially targeted voter intimidation and suppression should be nominated to the federal bench—but that is what we see with Thomas Farr. As if that’s not enough, he potentially lied to the Senate Judiciary Committee about his involvement in one of the most notorious voter suppression campaigns during Jesse Helms’ 1990 Senate campaign in North Carolina.
Yet six of the senators who decided to “honor” MLK Day on Twitter this week actually voted to support Farr’s nomination to a lifetime seat on the federal bench. We won’t let their hypocrisy go unchecked. Share the tweets below to help us call them out. Then call your senators and say: Stop extreme judicial nominee Thomas Farr!
1. Senator John Cornyn, Texas
In a world where you were judged by the content of your character and not the color of your skin, Thomas Farr would never be a judicial nominee, @JohnCornyn. How dare you vote for Farr — former director of Nazi-inspired, pro-eugenics Pioneer Fund. #FarrOut #CourtsMatter #MLKDay https://t.co/MiisCCbQ5g
— PFAW (@peoplefor) January 18, 2018
2. Senator Ted Cruz, Texas
Hey @SenTedCruz, If you truly believe that all men are created equal than why did you just vote to give Thomas Farr — who has a well-documented history of supporting the suppression of voting by African Americans — a lifetime seat on the federal bench? #FarrOut #CourtsMatter #MLK https://t.co/q2wzGyw1nf
— PFAW (@peoplefor) January 18, 2018
3. Senator Lindsey Graham, South Carolina
On Monday, @LindseyGrahamSC gave a speech in SC on #MLK’s legacy. On Thursday, he voted to place “a product of the modern white supremacist machine” Thomas Farr on the federal bench in NC. #CourtsMatter #FarrOut https://t.co/DeHZuApCEa
— PFAW (@peoplefor) January 18, 2018
4. Senator Orrin Hatch, Utah
3 days after tweeting about #MLK’s legacy, @senorrinhatch voted for judicial nominee Thomas Farr, who helped lead the fight for voter suppression against African American voters in North Carolina. #FarrOut #CourtsMatter https://t.co/G4l7mNPKV6
— PFAW (@peoplefor) January 18, 2018
5. Senator John Kennedy, Louisiana
Just days ago, @SenJohnKennedy tweeted this. Today he voted in support of making Thomas Farr, “a major policy architect of systemic racism,” a federal judge. #FarrOut #CourtsMatter #MLKDay https://t.co/QlTGUe4qWR
— PFAW (@peoplefor) January 18, 2018
6. Senator Thom Tillis, North Carolina
3 days after honoring #MLKDay, @SenThomTillis voted to place Thomas Farr on the federal bench. Farr previously lied to the Senate about his role in Jesse Helms’s voter intimidation campaign against Black North Carolinians. #FarrOut #CourtsMatter https://t.co/24ZJqMGua4
— PFAW (@peoplefor) January 18, 2018