WASHINGTON—In response to the Senate’s confirmation of John Bush as a federal appellate court judge, People For the American Way Executive Vice President Marge Baker issued the following statement:
“Even before his Senate committee hearing, it was clear John Bush was unfit for the federal bench. His performance before the Senate Judiciary Committee only amplified that concern.
“He anonymously blogged with truly venomous posts going far beyond common decency or self-restraint. Bush has a long history of denigrating LGBTQ people and has made inflammatory comments about women’s right to reproductive freedom—and then lied to cover them up. He’s cited sources pushing fake news, including racist lies about President Obama’s birthplace. He believes the seminal Supreme Court case protecting freedom of the press was wrongly decided. He’s claimed his views on constitutional interpretation are irrelevant to being a federal judge. And he’s supported legal theories that would allow even further erosion of limits on big money in politics.
“Given his extreme views and his questionable character, he should never have been nominated, let alone confirmed for a seat on the Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. The GOP continues to support Donald Trump’s extreme agenda by confirming unqualified and dangerous ideologues to our courts. This is yet another example of the GOP’s willingness to put politics above the values and principles of good government.”
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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