Washington, D.C.— As the GOP-controlled Senate prepares to advance another half-dozen Trump judicial nominees toward confirmation next week in a lame-duck session, People For the American Way has sent a letter to Senate Democrats demanding they stand firm and speak out against moving forward on any of these nominations. The letter notes that judicial confirmations are extraordinarily rare during a lame-duck period preceding a new president, and that Republican efforts to advance these nominees is yet another example of norm-breaking that they have employed for years to stack the courts with ultraconservative judges. The letter calls on Democrats to take a firm stand against these nominees and comes as advocates are calling for the confirmation of fair-minded judges to be a top priority of the incoming Biden administration.
"It is literally sickening to see Mitch McConnell continue to indulge his partisan obsession with confirming far-right judges, instead of taking action on the COVID pandemic that continues to spin out of control," said People For the American Way President Ben Jealous. "There is no way Senate Democrats should just stand by and watch this. It's time for them to speak out, forcefully, clearly and insistently, against the judicial nominees of this lame-duck president. Not only is the timing egregious, but this group of nominees expected to be processed next week includes some of the worst-qualified and inexperienced we've seen to date. Democrats need to step up and say so by voting against these nominees and making the full force of their objections absolutely clear."
"It's time to set the stage for the approach we expect the Biden administration and Senate Democrats to take when it comes to repairing the harm done to our federal bench under Donald Trump," said People For the American Way Executive Vice President Marge Baker. "That means making it absolutely clear that the nominees Trump is putting forward are unacceptable and the effort to push them through during the lame-duck session is unacceptable. We expect Senate Democrats to send a loud and clear message opposing these judicial nominees -- and emphasizing that starting on Day One of the Biden administration, the judicial nomination and confirmation process will be very different."
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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.