Today, Gold Star father and People For the American Way (PFAW) board member Khizr Khan, in a robocall on behalf of PFAW, called on voters in Maine and Alaska to tell Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, respectively, to stand up for the Constitution and vote against the nomination of Thomas Farr, Donald Trump’s nominee for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Khan pointed to Farr’s record of extremism and work in support of discriminatory policies as reasons to oppose his confirmation to a lifetime seat on the federal bench.
In the call, Kahn cites Farr’s efforts making it harder for workers to stand up for their legal rights on the job and to prevent African Americans from voting.
“Our constitution doesn’t have many advocates as forceful and as eloquent as Khizr Khan,” said Marge Baker, executive vice president at People For the American Way. “We’re thrilled that he’s lending his voice to stand up against a nominee who has spent a lifetime undermining the constitutional principle of equality under the law. Thomas Farr has made clear again and again that he doesn’t deserve a lifetime seat on the federal bench. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski have the power to prevent someone who has spent decades undermining civil rights from being confirmed as a judge. If they care about the Constitution and the rule of law, they should do exactly that.”
Last year, PFAW sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee laying out the many reasons to oppose Farr’s nomination. Farr built a career as the go-to litigator for attacks on voting rights including North Carolina’s aggressive campaign to disenfranchise voters through gerrymandering and unnecessary barriers for eligible voters trying to register.
In Maine, Khan’s call to voters included the following language:
Hello, this is Khizr Khan, calling on behalf of People For the American Way. In America, every person is equal before the law. But Thomas Farr, Donald Trump’s nominee for a lifetime position as a federal judge, has spent a career using the law to discriminate. He’s fought for laws to prevent African Americans from voting, and made it harder for workers to stand up for their legal rights on the job. Please, tell Susan Collins to stand up for the Constitution and to vote against Thomas Farr.
He also recorded a similar call for Alaska voters:
Hello, this is Khizr Khan, calling on behalf of People For the American Way. In America, every person is equal before the law. But Thomas Farr, Donald Trump’s nominee for a lifetime position as a federal judge, has spent a career using the law to discriminate. He’s fought for laws to prevent African Americans from voting, and made it harder for workers to stand up for their legal rights on the job. Please, tell Lisa Murkowski to stand up for the Constitution and to vote against Thomas Farr.
A wide coalition of civil rights organizations have opposed Farr’s confirmation, arguing that no one with a record of racially targeted voter intimidation and suppression should be nominated to the federal bench. Earlier this year, PFAW called out several senators who spoke out to “honor” MLK Day, just days before supporting Farr’s nomination.
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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